Effect of B₂O₃ on reduction of FeO in Ti bearing blast furnace primary slag

The effect of B₂O₃ on reduction of FeO from iron saturated FeO-CaO-SiO₂-MgO-Al₂O₃-TiO₂ slags by graphite has been studied under static conditions between 1473 and 1573 K. The compositions of quenched samples were determined by electron probe X-ray analysis (EPMA). The reduction degree (R) of FeO in each sample was obtained by mass balance and compared with the reduction of FeO in the slags without B₂O₃. The results showed that FeO reduction in the primary slag was effectively improved with only 1 mass-% B₂O₃ content, but did not continue to increase with the increase in B₂O₃ content and it reduced slightly at about 3 mass-%B₂O₃. After reduction B₂O₃ gathered in the liquid phase where it can restrain the formation of iron-titanium oxide and promote the reduction of FeO, so benefiting blast furnace operation.