The Evaluation of Starch as an Iron Ore Pellet Binder

Western bentonite clay is the standard binder used during iron ore agglomeration. However, it increases pellet silica contents and is expensive. The use of organic binders has been investigated as one way to decrease the amount of bentonite required to make pellets. Starch is one naturally occurring organic polymer that has been successfully used in various applications from paper mills to pharmaceuticals. This research was focused on using starch as an iron ore pellet binder. The starches, sourced from corn and wheat, had cold-water solubility ranging from 7.5-60%. Pellets were made with constant starch dose (1 kg/t) and bentonite doses ranging from 0-6.6 kg/t. Good quality pellets were made with bentonite doses that were 75% lower than typically used in industry.