The present invention concerns an industrial
chemical process (400f) and an apparatus for carrying out that process. The
chemical process integrates into a single,
combined method: (i) a method (303, 304) of producing iron and / or
manganese from their ores, and (ii) a method (205a, 205b, 207, 208, 209) of producing an
oxide or
hydroxide of at least one of
calcium,
magnesium and iron from another ore respectively comprising a
carbonate mineral of at least one of
calcium,
magnesium and iron. This
combined method has the iron and / or
manganese ore and the other ore comprising the
carbonate mineral as its only essential ingredients, with common salt and / or water as optional extra ingredients. The
combined method produces iron and / or
manganese in elemental form, an
oxide or
hydroxide derived from the
carbonate mineral, and
oxygen as its corresponding products. If the iron and / or manganese ore also comprises a siliceous mineral, the method may also produce an alkaline mixture comprising
sodium silicate as a co-product. Salt and water act as intermediaries to produce these end-products, but are only consumed if supplied in excess. An amount of
sodium oxide,
hydroxide and / or carbonate determined by the amount of salt consumed may be produced as a co-product, along with a corresponding amount of at least one of
chlorine and
hydrochloric acid. An amount of
hydrogen determined by the amount of water consumed may also be produced as a co-product, along with an increased amount of
oxygen. The iron, manganese and
oxygen produced may all be used in
steelmaking. Any
excess oxygen may be safely vented to
atmosphere. The oxide or hydroxide derived from the carbonate mineral may be used in
cement manufacture, as a flux in
steelmaking and / or as an ingredient in the manufacture of soda-
lime glass. The alkaline mixture comprising
sodium silicate may be used as an alkaline activator for an alkaline activated or
geopolymer cement. The
sodium carbonate may be used in the manufacture of soda-
lime and / or
borosilicate glass, for example. The
chlorine and / or
hydrochloric acid may be used in the manufacture of chlorinated organic compounds, for example. The
hydrogen may be used as a fuel in a
hydrogen economy. The method of the invention requires no nett input of heat because the chemical reactions it involves are exothermic overall. It also consumes no fossil fuels and has
electricity as its only
energy requirement. Thus if the
electricity is produced from a source of
renewable energy, this method produces no
greenhouse gas emissions. In some embodiments, the method can even have a negative
carbon footprint overall. The invention is intended to replace existing techniques for producing iron and / or manganese from their ores, including hydrogen-DRI, the
calcination of limestone and other
carbonate minerals, both in
cement manufacture and in the production of
lime for other purposes, and the
ammonia-soda, or Solvay, process for the production of
sodium carbonate. The invention therefore has the potential to eliminate up to about 20% of anthropogenic
carbon dioxide emissions. [Fig. 9B]