This invention discloses a
red mud-based
composite pellet binder and its preparation and application, belonging to the field of pellet preparation technology. The composite binder is based on the
mass percentage addition of metallurgical mineral
powder, with the following components: 5-15%
red mud, 0.8-2.0% main organic binder, and 0.02-0.04%
ammonium formate. The main organic binder is one or a combination of industrial
pregelatinized starch (gelatinization degree ≥90%) and medium-
viscosity CMC (2%
aqueous solution viscosity 5000-20000 mPa·s at 25℃,
degree of substitution ≥0.6) (
starch:CMC=1:0.2-0.5). The
red mud is pretreated to a
moisture content of 3%-10% (excluding
boundary values), a particle size ≤200 mesh (specific surface area ≥300m² / kg), and impurities with a particle size >1mm are removed. This invention first prepares an organic binder
slurry, adds pretreated red mud and
ammonium formate to form a composite binder
slurry, then mixes it with mineral
powder in steps with water, pelletizes, and calcines to obtain the finished
pellets.
Ammonium formate, acting as a trace catalyst, achieves catalytic cross-linking at the organic-inorganic interface, constructing a synergistic
system of "organic bonding-inorganic reinforcement-interfacial
catalysis," thus overcoming the shortcomings of existing red mud-based binders, such as weak
interfacial bonding and poor performance. This invention can completely replace traditional
bentonite, achieving a green pellet drop strength ≥4.5 times / 0.5m, a
calcination strength of 2850-3280N / pellet, and reducing binder costs by 30-50%. It realizes high-value utilization of red mud resources, is compatible with metallurgical powders such as
iron ore,
manganese ore, and
chromium ore, requires no modification to existing production lines, is easy to industrialize, and possesses significant economic, environmental, and industrial application value.