About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T25: Materials Science & Technology
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| Symposium
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Phasing Out Carbon: Phase Transformation Challenges in Decarbonization Technologies
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| Presentation Title |
Enabling Ore-to-Part Manufacturing of Sustainable Iron: Coupling Hydrogen Plasma Reduction with Industrial Waste Red Mud as flux |
| Author(s) |
Rangasayee Kannan, Adam Stevens, Vanshika Singh, Brian Hicks, Sudarsanam Suresh Babu, Peeyush Nandwana |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Rangasayee Kannan |
| Abstract Scope |
Decarbonizing iron and steelmaking, combined with global disruptions to raw material supply chains, necessitates novel approaches to iron and steel production. In this talk, we present a synergistic framework that integrates (i) hydrogen plasma reduction of hematite powders and (ii) the repurposing of red mud—an industrial byproduct of alumina production—as a viable flux. Together, these strategies can enable direct ore-to-part manufacturing of iron/steel. We demonstrate that hematite powders reduced under Ar + 2% H₂ plasma exhibit a tenfold improvement in reduction kinetics compared to conventional pellet-based systems, offering strong potential for direct additive manufacturing of steel components. Concurrently, thermodynamic modeling shows that red mud not only outperforms conventional limestone as a flux by enhancing iron recovery, but its post-reduction residue can also function effectively as an electroslag remelting flux. Using multi-scale characterization, the underlying phase transformation sequence and key challenges associated with these approaches will be discussed. |