Essar Steel
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• Process
Overview
• Mining Concentrator • Pellet Plant • DRI • Steelmaking • Shipping |
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• Process Overview • The Essar Steel Minnesota project is located in northern Minnesota, on the western end of the Biwabik Iron Formation, the Mesabi Range, at the site of the former Butler Taconite Mining Company property. The Butler property is located north of U.S. Highway 169, immediately west of Nashwauk, Minnesota, and east of Calumet. The project has secured the 1.4 billion ton mineral resource of the Butler properties and will capitalize on the unique mineralogical characteristics of the iron ore body by vertically integrating all mining and manufacturing processes to produce a finished steel product on one site. The process will use proven technology and will be the only fully integrated steelmaking facility in the United States. Taconite is a magnetic iron ore, and the Butler ore body is unique on the Mesabi Range. The ore is coarse-grained and silica is liberated at a much coarser grind than any of the other taconite ore reserves in the Biwabik Iron Formation. This coarser grind allows economic production of a DRI grade concentrate (70 percent total iron and 1.5 percent silica). This liberating characteristic makes it a logical and ideal candidate for the Essar Steel Minnesota project. Before steel can be made, taconite must undergo beneficiation to increase iron concentration, agglomeration and induration. Induration is the process of firing the pellets to harden them and convert magnetic iron to non-magnetic iron.
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Third Party Due Diligence Essar Steel Minnesota selected and retained Behre Dolbear in early 2005 to provide an independent review of Essar Steel Minnesota’s mine and concentrator development. Behre Dolbear has concluded that Essar Steel Minnesota’s work was performed professionally and in accordance with generally accepted engineering practices. The resource is adequately and properly represented. |
