{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T13:54:54Z","timestamp":1790603694567,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790553600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The shortage of high-quality pellet feed has constrained the green transformation of blast furnaces, making it urgent to find economical alternative materials. This study investigated the effects of different blending ratios (0\u201330%) of Brazilian hematite concentrate PFC1 on the ballability, firing characteristics, and metallurgical properties of the mixed feed. The results showed that PFC1 had a relatively coarse particle size (59.1% passing \u22120.074 mm) and a low specific surface area (847 cm2\/g), but exhibited a rapid capillary water migration rate (13.33 mm\/min) and an optimal static ballability index (Kp = 0.26). At PFC1 blending ratios of 10\u201320%, the green balls achieved a drop strength &gt;4 times\/0.5 m, a compressive strength of approximately 18 N\u00b7P\u22121, and a decrepitation temperature \u2265 480 \u00b0C, demonstrating the best balling performance. In firing tests, the pellet strength showed a decreasing trend with increasing PFC1 proportion; however, under the firing regime of 1220 \u00b0C for 9\u201315 min, the compressive strengths of finished pellets from all schemes exceeded 2700 N, meeting the requirements for blast furnace use. The addition of PFC1 significantly improved the reducibility (RI increasing from 52% to 66.4%), while the reduction swelling index remained controllable (RSI \u2264 12.44%). Pot-grate tests validated the laboratory results, and the recommended industrial blending ratio of PFC1 is 10\u201320%. These findings provide a theoretical basis and process reference for the economical utilization of hematite-type concentrates.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma19194138","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T12:46:29Z","timestamp":1790599589000},"page":"4138","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Preparation Process and Properties of Pellets from PFC1 Hematite Concentrate"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Yong-Hong","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute Research of Iron & Steel of Sha-Steel, Zhangjiagang 215625, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Energy Steel and Green Manufacturing, Zhangjiagang 215625, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ping","family":"Du","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute Research of Iron & Steel of Sha-Steel, Zhangjiagang 215625, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Energy Steel and Green Manufacturing, Zhangjiagang 215625, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Xu-Xu","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute Research of Iron & Steel of Sha-Steel, Zhangjiagang 215625, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Energy Steel and Green Manufacturing, Zhangjiagang 215625, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute Research of Iron & Steel of Sha-Steel, Zhangjiagang 215625, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Energy Steel and Green Manufacturing, Zhangjiagang 215625, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"777","DOI":"10.1007\/s12666-018-1530-6","article-title":"Blast Furnace Performance Under Varying Pellet Proportion","volume":"72","author":"Agrawal","year":"2019","journal-title":"Trans. Indian. Inst. Met."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4495","DOI":"10.1007\/s11663-025-03690-w","article-title":"Insights into Particle Size Degradation and Structural Evolution of Native-State Coke Extracted Above the Tuyere Centerline in a Large-Scale Blast Furnace","volume":"56","author":"Chen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Metall. Mater. Trans. B"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"653","DOI":"10.1007\/s11015-016-0346-z","article-title":"MMK Blast Furnace Operation with a High Proportion of Pellets in a Charge. Part 2","volume":"60","author":"Pavlov","year":"2016","journal-title":"Metallurgist"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3871","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.iecr.4c03321","article-title":"Prospective Life Cycle Assessment Suggests Direct Reduced Iron Is the Most Sustainable Pathway to Net-Zero Steelmaking","volume":"64","author":"Azimi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ind. Eng. Chem. Res."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"Peng, Z., Hwang, J.-Y., Downey, J.P., Gregurek, D., Zhao, B., Y\u00fccel, O., Keskinkilic, E., Jiang, T., White, J.F., and Mahmoud, M.M. (2020). Utilization of Ground Sinter Feed for Oxidized Pellet Production and Its Effect on Pellet Consolidation and Metallurgical Properties. 11th International Symposium on High-Temperature Metallurgical Processing, Springer. The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series."},{"key":"ref_6","first-page":"510","article-title":"Effect of addition of hematite and limonite on oxidation kinetics and roasting performance of fluxed magnetite pellets","volume":"25","author":"Ran","year":"2025","journal-title":"Chin. J. Process Eng."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2400461","DOI":"10.1002\/srin.202400461","article-title":"Investigation of Basicity on Compressive Strength and Oxidation Induration Mechanism of Vanadium\u2013Titanium Magnetite Pellets","volume":"95","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Steel Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"(2020). Bentonite (Standard No. GB\/T 20973-2020)."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"(2020). Particle Size Analysis\u2014Laser Diffraction Methods (Standard No. ISO 13320:2020)."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dai, M.-B., Gu, B.-S., Ruan, Z.-Y., Wang, Z.-H., Luo, B.-C., and Chun, T.-J. (2022). Influence of Specific Surface Area on the Strength of Iron Oxidized Pellets. Minerals, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/min12080921"},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"(2008). Testing Method for Specific Surface of Cement-Blaine Method (Standard No. GB\/T 8074-2008)."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Zhou, Q., and Kong, L. (1989). Theories and Technologies of Iron Ore Agglomeration, Metallurgical Industry Press."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"(2018). Iron Ore Pellets for Blast Furnace and Direct Reduction Feedstocks\u2014Determination of the Crushing Strength (Standard No. GB\/T 14201-2018)."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"197","DOI":"10.1016\/S0032-5910(96)03123-3","article-title":"Particle agglomeration in high shear mixers","volume":"88","author":"Kristensen","year":"1996","journal-title":"Powder Technol."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Jiang, T. (2015). Principle and Technology of Agglomeration of Iron Ores, CSU Press."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"442","DOI":"10.1007\/s40831-024-00828-z","article-title":"Reduction Roasting Followed by Pelletization Study of Concentrate Fines of a Low Grade Iron Ore","volume":"10","author":"Mishra","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Sustain. Metall."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"487","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02648701","article-title":"Mechanisms and kinetics underlying the oxidation of magnetite in the induration of iron ore pellets","volume":"4","author":"Papanastassiou","year":"1973","journal-title":"Met. Trans."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"(2024). Iron Ores for Blast Furnace Feedstocks\u2014Determination of the Reducibility by the Final Degree of Reduction Index (Standard No. GB\/T 24189-2024)."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"(2018). Iron Ore Pellets for Blast Furnace Feedstocks\u2014Determination of the Free-Swelling Index (Standard No. GB\/T 13240-2018)."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2139","DOI":"10.1007\/s11663-021-02177-8","article-title":"Influence of the Gangue Compositions on the Reduction Swelling Index of Hematite Briquettes","volume":"52","author":"Wang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Met. Mater. Trans. B"},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"70","article-title":"Effect of pellet reduction swelling on burden movement in shaft furnace by DEM simulation","volume":"61","author":"Zhong","year":"2026","journal-title":"Iron Steel"}],"container-title":["Materials"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1996-1944\/19\/19\/4138\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T12:54:57Z","timestamp":1790600097000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1996-1944\/19\/19\/4138"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]]},"references-count":21,"journal-issue":{"issue":"19","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10]]}},"alternative-id":["ma19194138"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ma19194138","relation":{},"ISSN":["1996-1944"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1996-1944","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]]}}}