This book provides a fascinating study of the very important emerging field of direct reduction in which iron ore is ‘directly reduced’ in the solid-state, using either natural gas or non-coking coal, to produce a highly metallised material, referred to as sponge iron (or direct reduced iron). This intermediate product is subsequently melted in electric arc furnaces or induction furnaces (sometimes even in basic oxygen furnaces) to produce liquid steel. Such a process combination enables steel to be produced without using coking coal, which is an expensive input in the normal blast furnace—basic oxygen furnace route of steelmaking adopted in integrated steel plants.

The book offers comprehensive coverage and critical assessment of various coal-based and gas-based direct reduction processes. Besides dealing with the application of the theoretical principles involved in the thermodynamics and kinetics of direct reduction, the book also contains some worked-out examples on sponge iron production. The concluding part of this seminal book summarises the present and future scenario of direct reduction, including the use of gas generated from coal in direct reduction processes.

The book is primarily intended for the undergraduate and postgraduate students of metallurgical engineering. It is also a must-read for researchers, technologists and process metallurgists engaged in the rapidly developing field of direct reduction of iron oxides, which is of critical importance for India and other developing nations that are beginning to play a major role in global steelmaking.
About the AuthorA metallurgical engineer from Banaras Hindu University, Amit Chatterjee was awarded the Doctorate of Science (Engineering) Degree by the University of London in 1988 for his outstanding work on coal-based direct reduction and oxygen steelmaking. He had earlier obtained his Ph.D. in Process Metallurgy from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, of which he is also a Fellow.

For his contribution in the area of oxygen steelmaking and direct reduction, Dr. Chatterjee has been hailed as The King of Direct Reduction; some have opined that he is not the King but the Emperor of Direct Reduction. He started his professional career in the steel industry in Germany, followed by over 39 years of distinguished service in Tata Steel, from where he superannuated in late 2011.

Dr. Chatterjee is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, England, The Indian Institute of Metals, India as well as The Indian National Academy of Engineers, India. He has over 550 publications to his credit and is the recipient of several awards from India and overseas including the National Metallurgist Award (1977), Visvesvaraya Gold Medal (1981 and 1996), SAIL Gold Medal (1982), Bhoruka Gold Medal (1992), Tata Gold Medal (1997), Platinum Medal (2002) and many others.

Dr. Chatterjee has authored several books: Ironmaking and Steelmaking—Theory and Practice and Hot Metal Production by Smelting Reduction of Iron Oxide (both published by PHI Learning) as well as two other books entitled Beyond the Blast Furnace and Metallics for Steelmaking—Production and Use besides a number of Monographs on Cokemaking, Sintermaking, Ironmaking, Continuous Casting, etc.

Dr. Chatterjee is recognised all over the world as an authority in the field of process metallurgy, particularly in the area of direct reduction and other alternative methods of iron production.