2012/12/03 by Abraham J. B. Muwanguzi, Andrey Karasev, Joseph Byaruhanga +1 · 1 citation
Engineering · Environmental Science · Chemistry · #Metal Extraction and Bioleaching #Minerals Flotation and Separation Techniques #Iron and Steelmaking Processes #Hematite #Iron ore #Chemical composition #Microstructure #Mineralogy #Metallurgy #Raw material #Composition (language) #Geology #Materials science #Chemistry #Art
paper · pdf · doi:10.5402/2012/174803
openalex publication_date 2012/12/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The study aimed at investigating the chemical composition and microstructure of raw iron ore from the deposits in Muko area (south-western Uganda). The quality of this iron ore was evaluated to establish its suitability to serve as a raw material for iron production. Samples were taken from the six hills of Muko ore deposits and tests carried out to establish their composition and properties. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were employed in the investigation and chemical analysis performed to determine the compounds constituting the ore. The quality of this ore was compared to generalized world market standards and ores from other nations. It was found that Muko ore is a rich hematite grade with Fe content above 65%. It has little gangue (<6% SiO 2 and 3-4% Al 2 O 3 ) and low contents of the deleterious elements (<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"><mml:mi>P</mml:mi><mml:mo>~</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.02</mml:mn></mml:math>% and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"><mml:mi>S</mml:mi><mml:mo><</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.006</mml:mn></mml:math>%), which correspond to acceptable levels for commercial iron ores.