Overview
The southern Labrador Trough (Wabush–Labrador City–Fermont) hosts large, high purity iron ore deposits. Understanding their mineralogy through drill core logging is essential for producing hematite and magnetite direct reduction quality concentrates suited for low carbon steelmaking. Although these ores contain lower in situ iron grades (28–32%) than those mined in Australia and Brazil (55–62%), their metamorphosed nature results in coarse grains and excellent liberation of iron oxide minerals from quartz. As a result, a 28–30% Fe ore can be beneficiated to a +67% Fe concentrates and pellets with very low deleterious elements (SiO2+Al2O3+TiO2 less than 3%).
Iron Ore Products
The raw iron ore that is mined from southern Labrador Trough generally consists of 26-36% Fe and is then further processed (or beneficiated) to a concentrate of 65-69% Fe. Round pellets are then made out of the Fe concentrate once is reground to a grain size of <100 microns.
In order to achieve a product with the highest Fe concentration possible, the pellets undergo a chemical process called reduction where oxygen is removed. Blast furnaces have traditionally been used for this processing step; however, CO2 emissions are significant. Direct reduction (DR) using natural gas (or potentially hydrogen gas) is becoming increasingly economical and popular reducing agents due to their lower CO2 emissions (up to 70% less).
Green Iron
Our aim is to use green processing methods for low-carbon steelmaking and to limit our carbon footprint. Using alternative methods to blast furnaces combined with the current infrastructure in southern Labrador consisting of renewable hydroelectricity is key to attaining this goal. Our target method for producing DR pellets via shaft furnace and crude steel via electric arc furnace (EAF).
