In metallurgy, bentonite is used as a binding additive in the production of iron ore pellets, agglomerate and briquets of metallurgical waste.

Bentonite is a clay characterized by fine dispersibility, ion exchange capacity, and a high degree of swelling when moistened. Bentonites intensively absorb water and increase in volume 15-20 times and more. After moistening, bentonite particles form a film with a large surface area, which envelops ore particles and connects them with each other. Its main properties from the point of view of pelletisation are swelling when moistened and the thermal stability.

The use of bentonite has the following advantages:

• Ensures the formation of optimum pellet structure, improves clumpability and increases hardening of raw pellets;
• Increases the strength, porosity of raw pellets, and the ability to release moisture during heating, which prevents cracking of pellets during rapid heating;
• Reduces fines formation and improves compressive and abrasion strength as a result of more uniform sintering conditions.

Bentonite binder additives contribute to obtaining strong pellets with optimal particle size distribution and improved metallurgical properties.

Pellets with bentonite have a higher recoverability index, which is important for blast furnace operation.

The following products are produced for mining and metallurgical plants:

• Modified bentonite clay is obtained by mechanical mixing of bentonite clay and sodium-containing reactant-activator (soda ash) to replace calcium, magnesium and iron cations with sodium cations to improve the technological properties of the binder additive in the charge in the production of iron ore products.
• Dried modified bentonite clay is a product of drying, which has retained its colloidal-chemical properties, qualitative characteristics, and also has increased processability during unloading operations and storage in winter time.
• Bentonite powder is a product of drying and fine grinding of bentonite clay, which was able to retain its colloidal-chemical properties. Bentonite powder has the ability to actively swell in contact with water to form visco-plastic suspensions, due to which it finds application in the technology of extrusion briquetting of metallurgical waste as a binder.