Petroleum coke has a high carbon content and low ash content, but it has low activity and is expensive. It is not an ideal reducing agent and is only used in small-scale production of high-quality titanium slag. Domestic and foreign production practices show that anthracite is a suitable reducing agent for smelting high-titanium slag. It has high carbon content and activity, low price, and reliable source; after being mixed with ilmenite concentrate, the resistance is large (80-340k0/cm3), but anthracite with low ash, low volatile matter and low sulfur should be selected.
In principle, all carbon-containing materials, such as coal, petroleum coke, metallurgical coke, charcoal and graphite powder, can be used as reducing agents for smelting high-titanium slag.
From the perspective of process and economic rationality, a reducing agent with high activity, low conductivity, low ash content, low volatile matter, low sulfur content and low cost should be selected. The high activity of the reducing agent can increase the reduction rate, reduce the smelting time, reduce energy consumption and improve production capacity. The low conductivity of the reducing agent can improve the performance of the charge and a reasonable power supply system. The ash content of the reducing agent is low, which can reduce its pollution to the high-titanium slag of the product. The volatile content of the reducing agent is low, which can reduce the exhaust volume during the smelting process and is beneficial to the stability of the furnace condition. As mentioned above, sulfur is a harmful impurity in smelting iron slag, so a low-sulfur reducing agent should be selected as much as possible.
