South American Iron and Steel Ltd has produced a high-grade pig iron and a TiO2-rich titanium slag in smelting tests on material from its Fierroinca project in Ecuador. The results were achieved employing the use of Outotec Circosmelt Technology, which comprises pre-reduction of iron-containing concentrate in a fluidised bed and smelting of pre-reduced concentrate in an electric furnace to produce pig iron and slag rich in titanium oxide. The recovery of iron into the pig iron was high, over 95.7 % based on the product calculations, and the maximum recovery of iron into pig iron was over 99%.
