Questions about the oxidative roasting of iron ore raw materials (agglomerates and pellets) are studied. Features of the phase structure of the iron ore raw materials containing titan and vanadium are discussed. Reducibility, durability, and the softening and melting temperatures of metallurgical iron ore raw materials are studied in vitro. The objects of the research are titaniferous ores containing different amounts of titan dioxide. The behaviors of agglomerates and pellets in a blast furnace are studied, and the influence of their physical and chemical properties on heat and mass transfer processes are researched by means of a mathematical model. The main indices of blast furnace smelting—productivity, coke consumption, composition of top gas, cast iron, and slag—are shown. It is established that the increase in titanium dioxide content in pellets, as the amount of concentrate with increased TiO₂ content increases, does not cause deterioration in the quality of iron ore raw materials being prepared for blast furnace smelting. At the same time, as the hot strength of raw materials increases, the temperature at which softening begins increases and the temperature interval of softening of materials decreases.

The current intensive development of steelmaking is being impeded by a scarcity of pure scrap. The potential to replace pure scrap with metallized raw materials that are naturally alloyed with vanadium and titanium, such as annealed unfluxed titanomagnetite pellets, could facilitate the achievement of key objectives in metallurgical development, particularly in the smelting of electric steel. The objective of this research was to produce annealed and metallized pellets from titanomagnetite concentrate under laboratory conditions, with the intention of further processing them as a commercial product in a blast furnace or as an intermediate product for the production of hot briquetted iron (HBI). The results demonstrate that pellets derived from titanomagnetite concentrate exhibit sufficient compressive strength (up to 300 kg/pellet) and a degree of metallization exceeding 90%, which aligns with the requirements for electric steelmaking. The suitability of pellets derived from titanomagnetite concentrate for use in both blast furnaces and metallization processes has been corroborated.

The present study explores the production of metallized titanomagnetite briquettes, with a view to addressing two key issues. Firstly, it seeks to address the growing shortage of high-quality iron-bearing raw materials. Secondly, it looks at how to meet the increasingly stringent environmental constraints. The conventional blast-furnace treatment of titanomagnetite is hindered by the formation of refractory Ti-rich slags. It is hereby proposed that a single-cycle briquetting process in conjunction with a thermal reduction route should be utilized. This approach enables precise regulation of the Fe/flux ratio. Experiments were conducted on a low-grade titanomagnetite concentrate (68.5% Fe) from the Pervouralsk deposit (Russia). Cylindrical briquettes (D 15–20 mm, h 8–10 mm) were subjected to a pressure of 300 MPa during the pressing process, with the utilization of diverse binders comprising rubber cement, CaO, graphite + water, and basic oxygen-furnace (BOF) slag + sodium silicate. Following an oxidative pre-heating process at 1300 °C for two hours, followed by a gas-based reduction process at 1050 °C for three hours, with a CO/N₂ ratio of 90/10, the products demonstrated an oxidation rate of 85–95% and a cold compression strength of 16–80 MPa. The highest observed strength (80 MPa) was obtained with a binder comprising CaO·MgO·2SiO₂ (diopside/merwinite), which forms a low-viscosity melt, fills 90% of pores and crystallizes as acicular Mg-SFCA-I during cooling. Conversely, the CaO·TiO₂ and FeO·TiO₂ + Fe₃C associations yield brittle structures and a maximum strength of 16 MPa. The optimum briquette (0.55% CaO, D/H = 20/10 mm) exhibited a 95.7% metallization degree, a compressive strength of 48.9 MPa, and dimensional changes within acceptable limits, thus fulfilling the requirements for electric arc furnace feedstock. Further research is required in the form of a full Life Cycle Assessment and pilot-scale testing. However, the results obtained thus far confirm that titanomagnetite briquettes with a binder consisting of CaO, MgO and SiO₂ are a promising alternative to pellets for low-carbon steelmaking.