IRON ORE

Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in colour from dark grey, bright yellow, deep purple, to rusty red. The iron itself is usually found in the form of magnetite(Fe3O4, 72.4% Fe), hematite (Fe2O3, 69.9% Fe), goethite (FeO(OH), 62.9% Fe), limonite (FeO(OH).n(H2O)) or siderite (FeCO3, 48.2% Fe).

Ores containing very high quantities of hematite or magnetite (greater than ~60% iron) are known as "natural ore" or "direct shipping ore", meaning they can be fed directly into iron-making blast furnaces. Iron ore is the raw material used to make pig iron, which is one of the main raw materials to make steel. 98% of the mined iron ore is used to make steel. Indeed, it has been argued that iron ore is "more integral to the global economy than any other commodity.

Properties of Iron Ore

• Magnetite:  This is the best quality of iron ore and contains 72 per cent pure iron. 

• Haematite: It contains 60 per cent to 70 per cent pure iron. 

• Limonite   : It contains 40 per cent to 60 per cent pure iron. 

• Siderite    : It contains many impurities and has just 40 to 50 per cent pure Iron.