This article presents the results of experimental studies on the production of chromium–nickel ferroalloy from the nickel ore of the Batamshinskoye deposit by the metallothermic method. Boron-containing ferrosilicochromium was used as a complex reducing agent and alloying material, and lime was applied as a fluxing component to control the composition and basicity of the slag. Laboratory smeltings were carried out in a Tammann furnace and an induction furnace at a temperature of 1630–1650 °C, producing slags with different basicities—0.4, 0.5, and 0.6. It was established that the use of boron-containing ferrosilicochromium provides the effective reduction of nickel, chromium, and iron oxides with the formation of a complex ferroalloy containing Fe, Cr, Ni, Si, and B. It is shown that an increase in slag basicity contributes to a decrease in its viscosity, a reduction in the content of chromium oxides in the slag, and an improvement in the conditions for the separation of the metal and slag phases. The crystallization temperatures of the slags, which decrease from 1410 to 1335 °C with an increase in basicity from 0.4 to 0.6, were determined by the method of semi-logarithmic processing of viscosity polytherms. The slag basicity range of 0.5–0.6 is recognized as optimal for the process.

This paper presents the results of a study on the utilization of chromium-containing waste in the production of mineral wool based on natural basalt. It was shown that a mixture of low-dolomite chromate sludge and low-carbon ferrochrome slag in a 1:1 ratio is compositionally close to dolomite. When dolomite is equivalently replaced in the mineral wool batch, the physicochemical characteristics of the melt remain suitable for mineral wool production. The complete reduction of iron and chromium oxides is achieved in the presence of carbon, resulting in their transfer to the metallic phase, where iron and chromium cations are present in the form of carbides. Due to the cost difference between chromium waste and dolomite, implementing the proposed technology makes it possible to significantly improve the efficiency of chromium waste utilization by reducing the production cost of mineral wool. The Aktobe region has all the prerequisites for implementing the developed technology, with active sources of chromium-containing waste pollution (ACCP, AFP) and basalt deposits, as well as the operational experience of the mineral-wool-manufacturing enterprise Basalt-A LLP.