FERRO-ALLOYS Indian Minerals Yearbook 2019 (Part- II : Metals & Alloys) 58th Edition FERROALLOYS (ADVANCE RELEASE) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines, NAGPUR – 440 001 PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471 PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648 E-MAIL : [email protected] Website: www.ibm.gov.in July, 2020 6-1 FERRO-ALLOYS 6 Ferroalloys erroalloys are one of the important inputs in LC ferro chrome, silicochrome and charge chrome) Fthe manufacture of alloys and special steel. They and Nobel ferroalloys (ferromolybdenum, are used as deoxidisers and alloy additives in the ferrovanadium, ferrotungsten, ferrosilicon steel manufacturing process. They impart special magnesium, ferroboron, ferrotitanium etc.). The properties to steel. The alloys provide increased details are furnished in Table- 1. resistance to corrosion, improve hardness & tensile strength at high temperature, impart wear and Table – 1 : Capacity of Ferroalloys abrasion resistance and increases creep strength etc. Industry in India The growth of Ferroalloys Industry is, thus, linked (In tonnes per annum) with the development of the Iron and Steel Industry, Ferroalloys Installed Foundry Industry and to some extent Electrode capacity Industry. The principal ferroalloys are chromium, manganese and silicon. The product series consists Total 5150000 mainly of ferromanganese, silicomanganese, Bulk Ferroalloys: 5100000 ferrosilicon and ferrochrome. Manganesealloys 3160000 Ferroalloys are classified into two main Chromealloys 1690000 categories, viz, bulk ferroalloys and noble ferro alloys. Bulk ferroalloys is majorly used in stainless Ferrosilicon 250000 steel & carbon steel. Most of the boble ferroalloys Noble Ferroalloys: 50000 are made from rare-earth minerals and are expansive Source: Indian Ferroalloys Producers' Association to produce as compared to bulk ferroalloys. Owing (IFAPA), Mumbai. to high cost of power, Ferroalloys Industry has not been operating to its full capacity in India. Ferroalloys The Ferroalloys Industry was established as Industry spends 40 to 70% production cost on power an ancillary industry to cater to the growing needs consumption. The power consumption per tonne of of the domestic Steel Industry and is spread all ferroalloys production in the country varied from over the country. Most of the ferroalloys units 3,000 to 12,000 kWh. have been set up in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya At present, major portion of the ferroalloys Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal produced is exported. Ferromanganese, because of availability of the raw material as well silicomanganese, ferrosilicon, high carbon as uninterrupted electricity supply. Recently, the ferrochrome and chargechrome are exported after Industry has further spread to the North-Eastern meeting the domestic requirements. Region of India. In Meghalaya, a number of small INDUSTRY, PRODUCTION, units producing ferrosilicon and ferrosilico- manganese have come up. The production of DEVELOPMENT AND various ferroalloys is detailed in Table-2. CONSUMPTION The ferroalloy units have incorporated the As per Indian Ferroalloys Producers' latest technology in order to use non-metallurgical Association (IFAPA), the total installed capacity of grade ores, both lumps and fines, after necessary bulk Ferroalloys Industry in India is estimated at beneficiation and agglomeration. The units have 5.10 million tonnes per annum and for noble also incorporated an effective pollution control ferroalloys it is 50,000 tonnes per annum. The measures in the form of gas cleaning, deoxidising products covered are Manganese alloys (HC, MC & and waste heat recovery. 6-2 FERRO-ALLOYS BULK FERROALLOYS Bulk ferroalloys consist of principal alloys, viz, ferromanganese, silicomanganese, ferrochrome, chargechrome and ferrosilicon. The production of different kinds of ferroalloys was not received from IFAPA as well as from other sources. However, the data received from JPC for some of the ferroalloys and partial coverages on ferroalloys that have been published in IBM's Monthly Statistics of Mineral Production (MSMP) in its March, 2018 & 2019 issues have been reproduced in Table-2. It may be noted that the data coverage in Table-2 is partial and does not reflect the actual production of ferroalloys. Ferromanganese/Silicomanganese Ferromanganese is produced as high carbon ferromanganese with 72-82% Mn, 6-8% C and 1.5% Si; medium-carbon ferromanganese with 74-82% Mn, 1-3% C and 1.5% Si; and low-carbon Table – 2 : Production of Ferroalloys, 2016-17 to 2018-19 (In tonnes) Ferroalloys 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 A) Bulk Ferroalloys Ferromanganese 518000 518000 518000 Silicomanganese 300625 311326 345291 Ferrosilicon 90000 90000 90000 Ferrochrome 944000 944000 944000 Chargechrome NA NA NA B) Noble Ferroalloys Ferromolybdenum 1603 1205 1003 Ferrovanadium 1329 1331 1013 Ferrotungsten NA NA NA Magnesium-ferro-silicon 20183 15978 19180 Ferroaluminium 4345 4423 2752 Ferro-silicon-zirconium NA NA NA Ferrotitanium 291 281 118 Ferroboron NA NA NA Ferroniobium NA NA NA Source: Monthly Statistics of Mineral Production (MSMP), IBM, March, 2018 & 2019 Issues. 6-3 FERRO-ALLOYS ferromanganese with 80-85% Mn, 0.1-0.7% C and ferromanganese. Around 4,750 to 1-2% Si. Silicomanganese on the other hand is a 5,250 kWh power is consumed to produce one combination of 60-70% Mn, 10-20% silica and tonne of silicomanganese produced. about 20% carbon. Manganese in the form of Silicomanganese has emerged as a more important ferromanganese is added for hardening and alloy than ferromanganese. The country, over the desulphurisation of steel. Nav Bharat Ferro Alloys year, has emerged as a leading producer of Ltd, Paloncha, Andhra Pradesh; Chhattisgarh silicomanganese. Silicomanganese was also Electricity Co. Ltd, Raipur, Chhattisgarh; Indsil produced by a number of small-scale ferroalloy Energy & Electro Chemicals Ltd, Raipur, producers. The total production of Chhattisgarh; Ispat Godawari Power & Ispat Ltd ferromanganese in 2017-18 was about 5,18,000 (GPIL), Chhattisgarh; Monet Ispat Ltd, Raipur, tonnes which remained same in 2018-19. The Chhattisgarh; Union Ferro, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh; estimated consumption of ferromanganese was Prakash Industries, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh; 50,800 tonnes in 2017-18. The production of Tirumala Balaji Alloys Pvt. Ltd, Raigarh, silicomanganese (including medium-carbon & low- Chhattisgarh; Vandana Global Ltd, Raipur, carbon silicomanganese) which was about Chhattisgarh; SAL Steels Ltd, Gandhidham, 3,11,326 tonnes in 2017-18 increased to 3,45,291 Gujarat; Anjaneya Ferro Alloys Ltd, Mihijam, tonnes in 2018-19. In 2017-18, the total Jharkhand; Gautam Ferro Alloys Ltd, Ramgarh, consumption of silicomanganese by all industries Jharkhand; Shivam Iron & Steel Co. Pvt. Ltd, has been estimated at 1,22,600 tonnes. Giridih, Jharkhand; Sandur Manganese & Iron Ferrrochrome/Chargechrome Ores Ltd, Sandur, Karnataka; Indsil Electrosmelt Ltd, Palakkad, Kerala; Chandrapur Ferro Alloys Ferrochrome when added to steel imparts Plant (formerly Maharashtra Electrosmelt Ltd), hardness, strength and augments its stainless Chandrapur, Maharashtra; Nagpur Power Ind. Ltd, characteristics. For every tonnes of stainless steel Kanhan, Maharashtra; Natural Sugar & Allied (depending on the grade), there is 17-23% of Ind. Ltd, Osmanabad, Maharashtra; Adhunik chrome content is required. Hence, if the stainless- Meghalaya Steels Pvt. Ltd, Bymihat, Meghalaya; steel Industry grows, the ferrochrome Industry Meghalaya Sova Ispat Ltd, Meghalaya; Shyam also grows. Carbon content classifies the Century Ltd, Meghalaya; Tata Steel Ltd, Joda, ferrochrome alloy into high-carbon (6-8%), Odisha; Bhaskar Shrachi Alloys Ltd, Durgapur, medium-carbon (3-4%) and low-carbon (1.5-3%), West Bengal; Cosmic Ferro Alloys Pvt. Ltd, although chromium content in all the three grades Bankura, West Bengal; Dayal Ferro Alloys Ltd, is around 60-70%. Around 2.5 tonnes chrome ore Ramgarh, West Bengal; Haldia Steels Ltd, with an estimated power consumption of 4,500 Burdwan, West Bengal; Impex Ferro Tech Ltd, kWh is required to produce one tonne of Burdwan, West Bengal; Maithan Alloys Ltd, ferrochrome. Ferrochrome is produced by electric Burdwan, West Bengal; Modern India Con-Cast carbothermic reduction of chromite. Ltd, Birhampur, West Bengal; Sharp Ferro Alloys FACOR Alloys Ltd, Garividi, Andhra Pradesh; Ltd, Durgapur, West Bengal; Shri Gayatri Minerals Jindal Steel & Power Ltd, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh; Ltd, Bishnupur, West Bengal; Shyam Ferro Alloys Standard Chrome Ltd, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh; SAL Ltd, Burdwan, West Bengal; and Sova Ispat Ltd, Steel, Kachchh-Bhuj, Gujarat; Balasore Alloys Ltd, Durgapur, West Bengal are the major producers Balasore, Odisha; IDCOL Ferro Chrome Plant, of ferromanganese/silicomanganese. Jajpur Road, Odisha; Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Silicomanganese, is an alloy that contains 60- Ltd, Therubali, Odisha; Jindal Stainless Ltd, 70% manganese, 16-28% silicon and 1.5 to 2.5% Duburi, Odisha; Nava Bharat Ferro Alloys Ltd, carbon. It is more preferred as an effective Dhenkanal, Odisha; Utkal Manufacturing Services deoxidising agent than high-carbon Ltd, Choudhwar, Odisha; Rawat Ferro Alloys, ferromanganese in the production of various types Cuttack, Odisha; Rohit Ferro Tech. Pvt. Ltd, of steels. It is also used as feedstock to produce Bishnupur, West Bengal and Sri Vasavi Ind. Ltd, refined alloys like medium and low-carbon Bishnupur, West Bengal are the major ferrochrome 6-4 FERRO-ALLOYS producers. A sizeable