Modern Mining November 2023

COMMODITIES OUTLOOK: IRON POWDER

Water atomisation of Iron Powder By Ironveld CEO, Martin Eales and Tariro Chitapa, Business Development Manager With the increasing need for clean energy solutions and a supply of manufacturing materi als, High Purity Iron Powder (HPI) is in demand for its applications in advanced manufac turing, renewable energy solutions and the pharmaceutical industry. With an ever-growing demand for HPI, a sustainable supply chain for the material must be created. Ironveld seeks to be a part of that solution and help facilitate a means of supply so the metal can meet the demands of the global market.

Ironveld CEO, Martin Eales.

I ron Powder is produced in three different ways, which gives it three different classifications: reduced iron powder, atomised iron powder and electrolytic iron powder. Atomised iron powder is produced through a process called water atomisa tion. This involves melting iron and directing it into an atomisation chamber, which is equipped with high pressure water jets or nozzles. These high-pressure water jets strike the molten iron stream, breaking it into small droplets, which are then rapidly cooled as they move through the air and begin to solidify into small particles. After they have solidified, they are then collected and might undergo a screen ing process to separate particles of different sizes, which is done to ensure that the final powder meets the desired particle size distribution for specific applications. This process is widely used to manufacture metal powders for various industrial applications, includ ing metallurgy, powder metallurgy, and additive manufacturing.

An image of iron powders.

Market Demand Many industries use water atomised iron powder to produce sintered components, such as gear bear ings, bushings and structural parts, often found in industrial machinery, appliances and the automotive sector. As such, HPI is in high demand across the world. This is most notably seen in South Africa’s steel industry. In sectors such as infrastructure, construc tion and the automotive industry, HPI is a crucial

Tariro Chitapa, Business Development Manager at Ironveld.

The process of producing HPI (Source Ironveld).

10  MODERN MINING  November 2023