Short Communication

Optimisation of self-reducing mill scale briquettes for sustainable iron recovery in induction furnaces

¹ R and D Department, Saarloha Advanced Materials Private Limited, Pune, India
² WMG, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

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Received: 29 November 2025
Accepted: 19 December 2025

Abstract

Primary mill scale generated during steelmaking and hot deformation processes contains substantial iron oxides and can be directly recycled by converting it into self-reducing briquettes for induction furnaces. In this work, the roles of calcined petroleum coke as the reductant and molasses as the binder were examined to identify a balanced formulation offering both good reduction behaviour and adequate mechanical strength. Stoichiometric calculations suggested that 10−12 wt.% CPC is required to fully reduce Fe₂O₃ present in mill scale. Thermogravimetric analysis on briquettes with 6−14 wt.% CPC showed that the 12 wt.% briquette exhibited the highest mass-loss in the 600−900°C window, indicating the most active reduction stage. After reduction, SEM-EDS revealed iron-rich phases, and a metallic iron content of 96.8% was confirmed by wet analysis. Briquettes containing 10–12 wt.% CPC and 4–5 wt.% molasses provided mechanical strength of 48 N and a bulk density of 4.6 g/cm³, allowing stable charging into the melt.