Abstract
The silicon and ferroalloy industries in Norway have traditionally relied on fossil carbons as reductants for their respective process. Efforts to reduce the fossil CO2-emissions by introducing biocarbon has already begun, and targets of 25 to 40 % biocarbon use by 2030 have been set by various producers in Norway. An understanding of the effects of physical properties of the carbon on the process must be obtained so that the transformation can occur with minimal process interruptions.
It is well documented that charcoal is more friable than traditional fossil carbons, particularly during transportation and handling. Major issues related the fines generation is concerning material loss, effect of furnace performance, personal health and safety concerns by inhalation of particles, and possibility of dust explosions. The strength of unreacted material, the cold strength, can give good information about the dusting potential of a material, however many methods exist for these evaluations. In this work, an overview of the raised issues concerning dusting, and methods to evaluate cold strength in relation to dusting, is included, as is some relevant comparisons between charcoals and traditional carbon sources with respect to tumbling strength.