Iron ore. Mineralogy, processing and environmental sustainability / Железные руды. Минералогия, переработка, экология

Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that is vital to the global economy. Its unique combination of strength, formability, versatility, recyclability, and low cost, make it an ideal material for the construction industry, shipbuilding, motor vehicle manufacture, railway construction, bridge building, heavy industry, machinery manufacture, and engineering applications. Based on the World Steel Association statistics shown in Figure 1.1, the world's crude steel production has almost doubled since 2000.

Compared with the 94% increase in world crude steel production between 2000 and 2013, China's increase in crude steel production over the same period has been almost 540% accounting for more than 86% of the additional production.

Iron ore is the primary raw material from which metallic iron is extracted to make steel. To meet the rapid increase in crude steel production, the last decade has seen major expansions in world iron ore production. As evident in Figure 1.2, the world's iron ore production has increased from 1.043 Bt in 2001 to 2.93 Bt in 2012. China is the largest iron ore-producing country, producing about 1.3 Bt in 2012, about 45% of the world's iron ore production, followed by Australia and Brazil with their combined production of 919 Mt in 2012. <...>