Hand-held XRF sorting of spent refractory bricks to aid recycling
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/Abstract
MgO-C and Al2O3-MgO-C refractory bricks are widely used in the steelmaking industry. Since approximately 28 million tons of refractory bricks are discarded each year, it is logical to recycle them. When furnaces and ladles are relined, the spent refractory bricks become mixed-up, and need to be sorted before recycling can begin. This study examined the use of a hand-held X-ray fluorescence analyser (HH-XRF) to distinguish between spent oxide-based and oxide-carbon-based refractory materials, with special emphasis on spent MgO-C (MC) and Al2O3-MgO-C (AMC) bricks. HH-XRF analysis was conducted on eighteen oxide-carbon refractory bricks as well as on MgO-chromite and bauxite-based refractories. X-ray diffraction, reflected light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to characterise the MgO-C and Al2O3-MgO-C bricks to confirm the accuracy of the HH-XRF analyses.
This study also confirmed the importance of calibrating the HH-XRF analyser for the refractory bricks to be sorted. The HH-XRF could distinguish between the different oxide-carbon-based refractory bricks, before cleaning and after cleaning, which is of great importance as it provides a reliable and quick method whereby MC and AMC bricks can be sorted.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Nkhensani Mabasa, Natasia Naude, Andrie M Garbers-Craig
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