World's largest refractory iron ore fluidized magnetizing roasting project passes acceptance

On September 1, the world's largest-scale fluidized magnetizing roasting project for refractory iron ore passed its final completion acceptance in Anshan, Liaoning Province. With an annual processing capacity of 5.56 million tonnes, the facility has been operating continuously and stably, achieving full production and surpassing all design performance targets. The milestone signals that China's long-idle, low-grade refractory iron ore reserves could be transformed on a massive scale into economically viable "high-grade" resources.

The project comprises three production lines, each with an annual capacity of 1.85 million tonnes. Construction began in March 2024, full-process commissioning took place in September 2025, and commercial operations officially commenced in January 2026. Operational data show that the iron mineral phase conversion rate--a key measure of magnetic transformation efficiency--reaches 98%, while overall energy consumption is 35% lower than comparable technologies, significantly reducing production costs. The initiative has been included in the first list of green and low-carbon advanced technology demonstration projects by China's National Development and Reform Commission.

Industry experts expect this breakthrough to unlock efficient and environmentally sound development of nearly 30 billion tonnes of refractory iron ore and approximately 10 billion tonnes of iron-bearing tailings within China, helping to reduce the nation's heavy reliance on imported iron ore. To date, licensed applications of the related technology have surpassed a total processing scale of 15 million tonnes per year, with an international agreement already signed for a limonite roasting and quality-upgrading project in Laos.