Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A composition comprising:
- ladle furnace refining slag;
- binder comprising combination of bentonite and polyacrylamide or carboxymethyl cellulose; and
- solvent

2. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ladle furnace refining slag is in an amount ranging from about 91 wt% to 95 wt%.

3. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder is in an amount ranging from about 2 wt% to 4 wt%.

4. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the binder, the bentonite is in an amount ranging from about 75 wt% to 95 wt%; the polyacrylamide is in an amount ranging from about 5 wt% to 25 wt%; and the carboxymethyl cellulose is in an amount ranging from about 5 wt% to 25 wt%.

5. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ladle furnace refining slag comprises: SiO2 ranging from about 3.5 wt% to 6.5 wt%, Fe(T) ranging from about 1.05 wt% to 2.2 wt%, Al2O3 ranging from about 25 wt% to 35 wt%, MgO ranging from about 4 wt% to 7 wt%, P ranging from about 0.01 wt% to 0.05 wt%, MnO ranging from about 0.15 wt% to 0.35 wt% and TiO2 ranging from about 0.05 wt% to 0.1 wt%; and the ladle furnace refining slag has loss on ignition ranging from about 5 wt% to 10 wt%.

6. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ladle furnace refining slag has size ranging from about 0 to 6 mm.

7. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solvent selected is water; and wherein the solvent is in an amount raging from about 3 wt% to 5 wt%.

8. A method of preparing the composition as claimed in claim 1, said method comprises- mixing the ladle furnace refining slag, the binder comprising combination of the bentonite and the polyacrylamide or the carboxymethylcellulose and solvent to obtain the composition.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mixing is carried in a manner that the composition obtained is homogenous.

10. A briquette comprising the composition as claimed in claim 1.

11. The briquette as claimed in claim 10, wherein the briquette has moisture content ranging from about 1% to 3%.

12. The briquette as claimed in claim 10, wherein the briquette has cold compressive strength ranging from about 180 kg/ briquette to 1000 kg/briquette.

13. The briquette as claimed in claim 10, wherein the briquette comprises- SiO2 ranging from about 3.9 wt% to 6.8 wt%, Fe(T) ranging from about 1.07 wt% to 2.25 wt%, Al2O3 ranging from about 27 wt% to 33 wt%, MgO ranging from about 4 wt% to 7 wt%, P ranging from about 0.01 wt% to 0.05 wt%, MnO ranging from about 0.1 wt% to 0.3 wt% and TiO2 ranging from about 0.05 wt% to 0.1 wt%; and the briquette has loss on ignition ranging from about 7 wt% to 12 wt%.

14. A method of preparing the briquette as claimed in claim 10, said method comprises-
- preparing the composition according to the process as claimed in claim 8; and
- pressing the composition, followed by curing to obtain the briquettes.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the pressing is carried out by techniques selected from a group comprising hydraulic press, roller press and combination thereof.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pressing is carried out by applying pressure ranging from about 5 tons to 10 tons.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the curing is carried out for a duration ranging from about 3 days to 5 days, at a temperature ranging from about 25 ºC to 35 ºC.

18. A method of improving ladle furnace refining, said method comprising adding the briquette as claimed in claim 10 into the furnace alongside the molten metal.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the briquette is added in an amount ranging from about 1 kg/tcs to 1.5 kg/tcs of molten metal.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the briquette is having size ranging from about 40 mm to 55 mm.

21. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the addition of the briquette reduces consumption of lime in the refining in range of about 0.55 kg/tcs to 0.85 kg/tcs of molten metal.

22. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the addition of the briquette reduces consumption of ladle flux in the refining in range of about 0.16 kg/tcs to 0.35 kg/tcs of molten metal.

23. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein desulphurization rate is ranging from about 0.85 ppm/min to 1.1 ppm/min.

Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to field of metallurgy and material sciences. The present disclosure particularly relates to briquette composition and method of preparing the composition. The disclosure also relates to briquette having improved strength, method of preparation and application thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Ladle furnace refining is an important refining method in secondary steel making process. During said refining, molten steel from primary steel making process containing higher amount of dissolved oxygen is tapped in a ladle. During tapping, deoxidants and fluxes are added depending on the final quality requirement of steel to deoxidize the molten steel in ladle. Aluminium is used in Al-Killed steel making, whereas silico manganese and ferro silicon are used in Si-killed steelmaking as deoxidizer. Hence the slag composition of ladle furnace slag formed during Al-killed steel making is different from Si-killed steel making. The alumina composition of ladle furnace slag from Al-killed steel operation contains high alumina compared to Si-killed operation. The ladle fluxes are used to improve desulfurization, deoxidation, slag fluidity, inclusion absorption capacity of top slag and increase the life of ladle refractory lining. Fluorspar is conventionally used as ladle flux to increase fluidity of slag, but it has detrimental effect on ladle refractory. Therefore, calcium aluminate based synthetic slag which have melting temperature of about 1400 ºC are being used as replacement of fluorspar as ladle flux. However, calcium aluminate synthetic slag is very expensive for using as flux for fluidization and for desulfurization. Due to expensive nature of the calcium aluminate, attempts are made to recycle slag byproduct from ladle furnace refining operation as an effective and economic alternative to the expensive synthetic calcium aluminate flux. However, there is a challenge in recycling of the ladle furnace refining slag due to its size ability issue, i.e., during metal recovery process, the slag gets disintegrated into smaller size fraction (< 6 mm) which is not suitable for direct application of ladle furnace. As a result, handling ladle furnace refining slag powders is challenging and difficult to use as flux due to size restriction.

Thus, there appears a need for efficient utilization of the ladle furnace refining slag so that it can be effectively employed in ladle furnace refining operation. The present disclosure herein below describes efficient recycling of the ladle furnace refining slag for making briquettes having improved strength that can be employed in ladle furnace refining operation without any limitation.
STATEMENT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to briquette composition employing ladle furnace refining slag for preparing briquettes having improved cold compressive strength (CCS). The composition comprises: ladle furnace refining slag, binder comprising combination of bentonite and polyacrylamide or carboxymethyl cellulose and solvent.

The present disclosure further relates to a method of preparing the composition, said method comprises- mixing the ladle furnace refining slag, the binder comprising combination of the bentonite and the polyacrylamide or the carboxymethylcellulose and the solvent to obtain the composition.

The present disclosure further relates to briquettes having improved cold compressive strength ranging from about 180 kg/briquette to 1000 kg/briquette derived from the composition described above.

The present disclosure further relates to a method of preparing the briquettes, said method comprises- preparing the composition by mixing the ladle furnace refining slag, the binder comprising combination of the bentonite and the polyacrylamide or the carboxymethylcellulose and the solvent, followed by pressing the composition and curing to obtain the briquette.

The present disclosure further relates to a method of improving ladle furnace refining, said method comprises adding the briquette having improved strength into the furnace along with the molten metal, wherein the addition of the briquette described above reduces consumption of lime and ladle flux during refining and provides for improved desulphurization.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURES
In order that the present disclosure may be readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to exemplary embodiments as illustrated with reference to the accompanying figures. The figures together with detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate the embodiments and explain various principles and advantages, where:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a schematic representation of preparation of the high strength briquette from the ladle furnace refining slag.

FIGURE 2 describes a plot illustrating size analysis of the ladle furnace refining slag.

FIGURE 3 illustrates a scheme representing use of the briquette in ladle furnace refining.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the disclosure, including technical and scientific terms, have meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. By means of further guidance, term definitions are included for better understanding of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the singular forms ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ include both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The term ‘comprising’, ‘comprises’ or ‘comprised of’ as used herein are synonymous with ‘including’, ‘includes’, ‘containing’ or ‘contains’ and are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, non-recited members, elements or method steps.

The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers and fractions subsumed within the respective ranges, as well as the recited endpoints.

The term ‘about’ as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as a parameter, an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of ±10% or less, preferably ±5% or less, more preferably ±1% or less and still more preferably ±0.1% or less of and from the specified value, insofar such variations are appropriate to perform the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the value to which the modifier ‘about’ refers is itself also specifically, and preferably disclosed.

Reference throughout this specification to ‘some embodiments’, ‘one embodiment’ or ‘an embodiment’ means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. thus, the appearances of the phrases ‘in some embodiments’, ‘in one embodiment’ or ‘in an embodiment’ in various places throughout this specification may not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. It is appreciated that certain features of the disclosure, which are for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the disclosure, which are, for brevity described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

The term ‘ladle furnace refining slag’ as used herein is a byproduct of steel making industry obtained from the ladle furnace refining of carbon and alloy steels.

The term ‘binder’ or ‘binder composite’ or ‘composite binder’ in the present disclosure may be used interchangeably. The ‘binder’, ‘binder composite’ or ‘composite binder’ referred herein comprises- combination of organic component including but it is not limited to polyacrylamide and carboxymethyl cellulose and inorganic component including but it is not limited to bentonite.

The present disclosure relates to briquette composition for providing briquettes having improved strength.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the composition comprises ladle furnace refining slag, binder comprising combination of bentonite and polyacrylamide or carboxymethyl cellulose and solvent.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the composition comprises:
- ladle furnace refining slag;
- binder comprising combination of bentonite and polyacrylamide; and
- solvent

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the composition comprises:
- ladle furnace refining slag;
- binder comprising combination of bentonite and carboxymethyl cellulose; and
- solvent.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the ladle furnace refining slag is in an amount ranging from about 91 wt% to 95 wt%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 91.1 wt%, 91.2 wt%, 91.3 wt%, 91.4 wt% and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the ladle furnace refining slag comprises: SiO2 ranging from about 3.5 wt% to 6.5 wt%, Fe(T) ranging from about 1.05 wt% to 2.2 wt%, Al2O3 ranging from about 25 wt% to 35 wt%, MgO ranging from about 4 wt% to 7 wt%, P ranging from about 0.01 wt% to 0.05 wt%, MnO ranging from about 0.15 wt% to 0.35 wt% and TiO2 ranging from about 0.05 wt% to 0.1 wt%.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the ladle furnace refining slag has loss on ignition (LOI) ranging from about 5 wt% to 10 wt%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 5.1% wt%, 5.2 wt%, 5.3 wt%, 5.4 wt% and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the ladle furnace refining slag has size ranging from about 0 mm to 6 mm, including all the values in the range, for instance, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, about 80% of the ladle furnace refining slag in the composition has size of less than 2.56 mm.

In an embodiment, the Figure 2 describes a plot illustrating size analysis of the ladle furnace refining slag.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the ladle furnace refining slag is a byproduct from ladle furnace refining operation including but it is not limited to Al-killed steel making.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the binder in the composition is in an amount ranging from about 2 wt% to 4 wt%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 2.1 wt%, 2.2 wt%, 2.3 wt%, 2.4 wt% and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the binder, the bentonite is in an amount ranging from about 75 wt% to 95 wt%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 75.1 wt%, 75.2 wt%, 75.3 wt%, 75.4 wt% and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the binder, the polyacrylamide is in an amount ranging from about 5 wt% to 25 wt%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 5.1 wt%, 5.2 wt%, 5.3 wt%, 5.4 wt% and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the binder, the carboxymethyl cellulose is in an amount ranging from about 5 wt% to 25 wt%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 5.1 wt%, 5.2 wt%, 5.3 wt%, 5.4 wt% and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the binder comprises- bentonite in an amount ranging from about 75 wt% to 95 wt% and polyacrylamide ranging from about 5 wt% to 25 wt%.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the binder comprises- bentonite in an amount ranging from about 75 wt% to 95 wt% and carboxymethyl cellulose ranging from about 5 wt% to 25 wt%.

The inventors in the present disclosure have particularly identified an improved manner of handling the ladle furnace refining slag having size ranging from about 0 mm to 6 mm which was challenging prior to the present disclosure. The surprising effect of using the ladle furnace refining slag having size ranging from about 0 mm to 6 mm was achieved by combining said ladle furnace refining slag with binder or binder composite comprising combination of bentonite and polyacrylamide or carboxymethylcellulose. It is particularly identified that ladle furnace refining slag having size ranging from about 0 mm to 6 mm, in an amount ranging from about 91% to 95% in combination with binder comprising 75% to 95% of the bentonite and 5% to 25% of polyacrylamide or 5% to 25% of the carboxymethyl cellulose provides for a briquette composition that yields briquettes having improved strength.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the composition comprises solvent including but it is not limited to water. In an embodiment, the solvent is in an amount ranging from about 3 wt% to 5 wt%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 3.1 wt%, 3.2 wt%, 3.3 wt%, 3.4 wt% and so on and so forth.

The present disclosure further relates to method of preparing the composition.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method of preparing the composition comprises- mixing the ladle furnace refining slag, the binder comprising combination of the bentonite and the polyacrylamide or the carboxymethyl cellulose and the solvent to obtain the composition.

In an exemplary embodiment, the method of preparing the composition comprises- mixing about 91 wt% to 95 wt% of the ladle furnace refining slag, about 2 wt% to 4 wt% of the binder comprising about 75 wt% to 95 wt% of the bentonite and about 5 wt% to 35 wt% of the polyacrylamide and about 3 wt% to 5 wt% of water.

In another exemplary embodiment, the method of preparing the composition comprises- mixing about 91 wt% to 95 wt% of the ladle furnace refining slag, about 2 wt% to 4 wt% of the binder comprising about 75 wt% to 95 wt% of the bentonite and about 5 wt% to 35 wt% of the carboxymethyl cellulose and about 3 wt% to 5 wt% of water.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of preparing the composition, the mixing is carried out in a manner that the composition obtained is homogenous in nature.

The present disclosure further relates to briquette.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the briquette comprises the composition described above. In an embodiment, the briquette is derived from the composition described above.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the briquette has moisture content ranging from about 1% to 3%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 1.1%, 1.2%, 1.3%, 1.4% and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the briquette has cold compressive strength ranging from about 180 kgf/briquette to 1000 kgf/briquette, including all the values in the range, for instance, 181 kgf/briquette, 182 kgf/briquette, 183 kgf/briquette, 184 kgf/briquette and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the briquette comprises: SiO2 ranging from about 3.9 wt% to 6.8 wt%, Fe(T) ranging from about 1.07 wt% to 2.25 wt%, Al2O3 ranging from about 27 wt% to 33 wt%, MgO ranging from about 4 wt% to 7 wt%, P ranging from about 0.01 wt% to 0.05 wt%, MnO ranging from about 0.1 wt% to 0.3 wt% and TiO2 ranging from about 0.05 wt% to 0.1 wt%.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the briquette has loss on ignition ranging from about 7 wt% to 12 wt%, including all the values in the range, for instance, 7.1 wt%, 7.2 wt%, 7.3 wt% 7.4 wt% and so on and so forth.

The briquette described above can be employed in ladle furnace refining operation for steel making process.

In an embodiment, the use of the briquette reduces lime consumption by least 0.55 kg/tcs in the ladle furnace refining operation

In another embodiment, the use of the briquette in the ladle furnace refining operation reduces lime consumption in a range from about 0.55 kg/tcs to 0.85 kg/tcs, including all the values in the range, for instance, 0.56 kg/tcs, 0.57 kg/tcs, 0.58 kg/tcs, 0.59 kg/tcs and so on and so forth.

In an embodiment, the use of the briquette reduces fluorspar consumption by at least 0.16 kg/tcs in the ladle furnace refining operation.

In another embodiment, the use of the briquette in the ladle furnace refining operation reduces fluorspar consumption in a range from about 0.16 kg/tcs to 0.35 kg/tcs, including all the values in the range, for instance, 0.17 kg/tcs, 0.18 kg/tcs, 0.19 kg/tcs, 0.20 kg/tcs and so on and so forth.

In an embodiment, the briquette has sulphur removal capacity in the ladle furnace refining operation in the range from about 0.85 ppm to 1.1 ppm, including all the values in the range, for instance, 0.86 ppm, 0.87 ppm, 0.88 ppm, 0.89 ppm and so on and so forth.

The present disclosure further relates to a method of preparing the briquette described above.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method of preparing the briquette comprise:
- preparing the composition by mixing the ladle furnace refining slag, the binder comprising combination of the bentonite and the polyacrylamide or the carboxymethyl cellulose and the solvent to obtain the composition; and
- pressing the composition, followed by curing to obtain the briquette.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method of preparing the briquette comprises:
- preparing the composition by mixing the ladle furnace refining slag, the binder comprising combination of the bentonite and the polyacrylamide and the solvent to obtain the composition; and
- pressing the composition, followed by curing to obtain the briquette.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method of preparing the briquette comprises:
- preparing the composition by mixing the ladle furnace refining slag, the binder comprising combination of the bentonite and the carboxymethyl cellulose and the solvent to obtain the composition; and
- pressing the composition, followed by curing to obtain the briquette.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of preparing the briquette, the pressing is carried by techniques including but it is not limited to hydraulic press and roller press.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of preparing the briquette, the pressing is carried out by applying pressure ranging from about 5 tons to 10 tons, including all the values in the range, for instance, 5.1 tons, 5.2 tons, 5.3 tons, 5.4 tons and so on and so forth.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of preparing the briquette, the curing is carried out at a temperature ranging from about 25 ºC to 35 ºC, including all the values in the range, for instance, 25.1 ºC, 25.2 ºC, 25.3 ºC, 25.4 ºC and so on and so forth. In an embodiment, the curing is carried out for a duration ranging from about 3 days to 5 days. In another embodiment, the curing is carried out for a duration of about 3 days, about 4 days or about 5 days.
In an embodiment, the Figure 1 provides schematic representation of preparation of the briquette.

The present disclosure further relates to a method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation comprises- adding the briquette described above into the furnace alongside the molten metal.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation, the briquette is added in an amount ranging from about 1 kg/tcs to 1.5 kg/tcs. In an embodiment, the briquette is added in an amount of about 1.1 kg/tcs, about 1.2 kg/tcs, about 1.3 kg/tcs, about 1.4 kg/tcs or about 1.5 kg/tcs.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation, the briquette is having size ranging from about 40 mm to 55 mm, including all the values in the range, for instance, 41 mm, 42 mm, 44 mm, 45 mm and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation, addition of the briquette reduces lime consumption by at least 0.65 kg/tcs. In an embodiment, addition of the briquette reduces lime consumption in a range of about 0.55 kg/tcs to 0.85 kg/tcs, including all the values in the range, for instance, 0.56 kg/tcs, 0.57 kg/tcs, 0.58 kg/tcs, 0.59 kg/tcs and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation, addition of the briquette reduces fluorspar consumption by at least 0.16 kg/tcs. In an embodiment, addition of the briquette reduces fluorspar consumption in a range of about 0.16 kg/tcs to 0.35 kg/tcs, including all the values in the range, for instance, 0.17 kg/tcs, 0.18 kg/tcs, 0.19 kg/tcs, 0.20 kg/tcs and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation, addition of the briquette avoids addition of fluorspar.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation, addition of the briquette demonstrates desulphurization rate ranging from about 0.85 ppm/min to 1.1 ppm/min, including all the values in the range, for instance, 0.86 ppm/min, 0.87 ppm/min, 0.88 ppm/min, 0.89 ppm/min and so on and so forth.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the method of improving the ladle furnace refining operation, addition of the briquette reduces dumping of finer slag fraction leading to land fill and reduces usage of expensive synthetic slag at steel plant.

The briquette composition and the briquette of the present disclosure provides for the following advantages-
- The briquette composition described herein enables efficient recycling of the ladle furnace refining slag by mixing with the binder composite comprising bentonite and polyacrylamide or carboxymethyl cellulose.
- The briquette composition provides for briquette having improved cold compressive strength.
- The briquette usage in the ladle furnace refining operation reduces consumption of lime by at least 0.65 kg/tcs.
- The briquette usage in the ladle furnace refining operation reduces consumption of fluorspar by at least 0.16 kg/tcs.
- The briquette usage in the ladle furnace refining operation provides for improved desulphurization rate ranging from about 0.85 ppm/min to 1.1 ppm/min.
- The briquette usage in the ladle furnace refining operation reduces dumping of finer LF slag fraction leading to land fill.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative not a limitation. While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on particular features of this disclosure, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein. Similarly, additional embodiments and features of the present disclosure will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in art based upon description provided herein.

Descriptions of well-known/conventional methods/steps and techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. Further, the disclosure herein provides for examples illustrating the above-described embodiments, and in order to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure, certain aspects have been employed. The examples used herein for such illustration are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments. Accordingly, following examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

EXAMPLES
Example 1: Preparing the briquette composition
About 1000 g of ladle furnace refining slag was mixed with about 36.27 g of composite binder having about 86.71 wt% of bentonite and about 14.29 wt% of polyacrylamide. Then about 40 g of water was added to the mixture to obtain the composition (green mixture). Chemical constituents of the ladle furnace refining slag are provided in Table 1.
CaO SiO2 Al2O3 Fe(T) S MgO MnO TiO2 K2O Na2O LOI
48.88 4.1 28.03 5.64 0.15 4.38 0.29 0.23 0.011 0.21 5.23
Table 1: Chemical constituents of the ladle furnace refining slag

Example 2: Preparing the briquette composition
About 1000 g of ladle furnace refining slag described in Example 1 was mixed with about 39.5 g of composite binder having about 79 wt% of bentonite and about 21 wt% of carboxymethyl cellulose. Then about 40 g of water was added to the mixture to obtain the composition (green mixture).

Example 3: Preparing the briquette
The composition obtained in Example 1 was subjected to pressing by employing hydraulic pressing by applying pressure of about 10 tons. The green briquettes obtained after pressing was subjected to curing for about 3 to 4 days at a temperature of about 25 ºC to 35 ºC to attain proper strength. The strength of the cured briquettes was found to be about 679 kgf/briquette. Chemical constituents of the briquette are provided in Table 2.
CaO Fe(T) SiO2 MgO MnO Al2O3 TiO2 P LOI
47.3 3.19 5.17 5.11 0.24 28.27 0.26 0.019 8.16
Table 2: Chemical constituents of the briquette.

Example 4: Preparing the briquette
The composition obtained in Example 2 was subjected to pressing by employing roller pressing by applying pressure of about 10 tons. The green briquettes obtained after pressing was subjected to curing for about 3 to 4 days at a temperature of about 25 ºC to 35 ºC to attain proper strength. The strength of the cured briquettes was found to be about 884 kgf/briquette. Chemical constituents of the briquette are provided in Table 3.

CaO Fe(T) SiO2 MgO MnO Al2O3 TiO2 P LOI
46.26 3.36 5.19 4.91 0.28 28.09 0.24 0.016 10.62
Table 3: Chemical constituents of the briquette.

Example 5: Ladle furnace refining operation
About 200 kg of the briquette obtained in Example 3 was added as a slag fluidizing compound in 155 tons of molten steel. Addition amount of the briquette was at a rate of 1.29 kg per ton of crude steel. Addition of the briquette was carried at Ladle furnace from top bunker. After addition of the briquette, lime addition was lowered by about 100 kg and fluorspar addition was lowered by about 46.5 kg. The visual observation of the top slag in the heat was done post addition of the briquette. The top slag was found to be fluidized after addition of the briquette and the arcing sound was found to be smooth which is an indication of good slag formation. The benefits observed after addition of the briquette are given in table 4.
Parameters Results
Lime Savings (kg/ ton of crude steel) 0.65
Spar Savings (kg/ ton of crude steel) 0.3
Desulphurization Rate (ppm/min) 1.06
Table 4: Benefits of adding the briquette.

Example 6: Ladle furnace refining operation
About 200 kg of the briquette obtained in Example 4 was added as a slag fluidizing compound in 155 tons of crude steel. Addition amount of the briquette was at a rate of 1.29 kg per ton of steel. Addition of the briquette was carried at Ladle furnace from top bunker. After addition of the briquette, lime addition was lowered by about 108.5 kg and fluorspar addition was lowered by about 37.2 kg. The visual observation of the top slag in the heat was done post addition of the briquette. The top slag was found to be fluidized after addition of the briquette and the arcing sound was found to be smooth which is an indication of good slag formation. The benefits observed after addition of the briquette are given in table 5.
Parameters Results
Lime Savings (kg/ ton of crude steel) 0.7
Spar Savings (kg/ ton of crude steel) 0.24
Desulphurization Rate (ppm/min) 1.0
Table 5: Benefits of adding the briquette.

Additional embodiments and features of the present disclosure will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in art based on the description provided herein. The embodiments herein provide various features and advantageous details thereof in the description. Descriptions of well-known/conventional methods and techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments in this disclosure have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

As regards the embodiments characterized in this specification, it is intended that each embodiment be read independently as well as in combination with another embodiment. For example, in case of an embodiment 1 reciting 3 alternatives A, B and C, an embodiment 2 reciting 3 alternatives D, E and F and an embodiment 3 reciting 3 alternatives G, H and I, it is to be understood that the specification unambiguously discloses embodiments corresponding to combinations A, D, G; A, D, H; A, D, I; A, E, G; A, E, H; A, E, I; A, F, G; A, F, H; A, F, I; B, D, G; B, D, H; B, D, I; B, E, G; B, E, H; B, E, I; B, F, G; B, F, H; B, F, I; C, D, G; C, D, H; C, D, I; C, E, G; C, E, H; C, E, I; C, F, G; C, F, H; C, F, I, unless specifically mentioned otherwise.

While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the particular features of this disclosure, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other modifications in the nature of the disclosure or the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.