Pyrometallurgy is
the most effective way to comprehensively utilize
boron-bearing iron concentrate, and there is an urgency for an environmentally
friendly and efficient method to achieve the prereduction of boron-bearing
iron concentrate. In this study, the mechanism and kinetics of isothermal
hydrogen reduction of boron-bearing iron concentrate in a fluidized
bed at 500–570 °C were discussed. The reduction degree
was quantified in combination with the online gas composition analysis
technique, and the phase and microstructure of the reduced products
were characterized. The results exhibited that the apparent activation
energy remained constant during the whole reduction process, with
average values of 50.67 and 48.08 kJ/mol calculated by the model-free
and model-fitting methods, respectively, and the reaction was controlled
by the contracting sphere model. The formation of a microporous metallic
iron facilitated the rapid penetration of hydrogen to the reaction
interface. Therefore, the intrinsic chemical reaction at the interface
determined the whole reaction process.