• Low Capital cost for plants producing 100,000 to 1,000,000+ tpa of DRI
• Use of iron bearing metallurgical wastes, iron ore fines and pulverized coal
• Low electricity consumption
• Operating flexibility
• Low environmental contamination

Continuous development efforts from Advanced Processes, Inc. ultimately culminated in our IRONWARP process. This process converts iron bearing metallurgical wastes, iron oxide fines and pulverized coal into high quality DRI suitable for the production of pig iron or steel depending on the specific application. The focal point of the process is the Rotary Hearth Furnace (RHF) similar to that used conventionally in the steel industry for heating billets and tubes.

Use of the RHF in direct reduction was facilitated for the first time by a member of AP's team in the 1950's and finally patented in 1974. This process used a method of recovering iron and oxide impurities from steel furnace dust in which the dust was mixed with coke fines and palletized. The green pellets were deposited over a layer of burnt pellets on a rotary hearth furnace. Processing was completed by passing the green pellets through drying and heating zones in the RHF. A gradual temperature increase coupled with burning coke, caused vaporization of zinc and lead that was carried off in the furnace exhaust gas captured in a baghouse.

Advanced Processes, Inc., realizing the need for this RHF technology, developed our superior process technology. The IRONWARP process provides the practical answer to the overall problem of processing waste materials that has been emerging fro over three decades. The advantages of the Advanced Processes, Inc. IRONWARP process include the following:

• The Process does not demand significant technological breakthroughs; nearly all equipment can be readily manufactured, even in countries having a nominal industrial base.
• Iron bearing metallurgical waste, iron ore fines and coal fines, which are otherwise seldom used directly in the iron and steel industry, are used as feed materials.
• In-plant dusts and fines are recycled.
• There is a high degree of flexibility with respect to independent control of temperature, atmosphere, and residence time. This makes the process suitable for a variety of materials with independent specific characteristics.
• Low residence time in the RHF results in rapid adjustment of process parameters and minimal production loss from process upsets.
• Operating costs are reduced through continuous feeding of hot direct reduced iron into the melter.
• The process is designed to produce hot DRI pellets, hot briquetted iron, cold pig iron, hot metal, or steel.
• Process economy can easily be achieved at unit module sizes varying between 100,000 and 3,000,000 tpa.
• Low environmental impact as compared to other coal-based ironmaking processes.
• The export generator is small and need not to be utilized to justify the process economics. Therefore, utilization of export gas is not a deciding factor; a distinct advantage compared to all DR processes.