Iron Ore - Always "en vogue"

When I started working with the processing of iron ore in 1997 at Lurgi in Frankfurt, there already were statements going around the corridors that iron ore and especially its agglomeration “is old technologies and that this business is declining and soon will be dead”.

We have then been seeing a huge increase in demand due to growing developing economies in the BRICs. Declining ore grades around the world have further pushed demand for more complex benefication, which lead to finer concentrates and a higher demand to agglomerate such fine ores.

Now, 25 years after its forecasted death, demand for high quality processed iron ore and, especially pellets, is - more than ever - picking up due to the envisaged global decarbonization of the steel industry and the increasing pellet content in the blast furnace burden globally.
I am proud to be part of this industry – which apparently and against all odds continues to be “en vogue”. 

(Dümmel. L)