PRODUÇÃO DE NOVO MATERIAL AGLOMERADO PELO MÉTODO DE BRIQUETAGEM VISANDO À SUSTENTABILIDADE ECONÔMICA

Mineral processing generates tons of waste after ore concentration stages. To produce iron ore pellets with high Fe content, fine particles must be floated, which negatively impacts effluent quality. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new materials that incorporate these residues, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, which promotes waste reduction through prevention, recycling, and reuse. This work proposes the development of a new economically sustainable material, obtained by agglomerating iron ore fines and expanded polystyrene (EPS) via the briquetting method. The EPS was dissolved in a 1:1 acetone-dichloromethane solution until malleable, enabling homogenization with the iron ore (PFF) and subsequent sphere formation (4–5.5 mm radius). The briquettes showed 6.3% total carbon and 4.23% fixed carbon, increasing blast furnace efficiency by reducing CO injection. The mechanical resistance of 13.6 daN (10:1 PFF/EPS) can vary with proportion adjustments.