The most interesting facts about iron. Iron ore deposits and mining technology

Iron is the fourth most abundant element on our planet. Its content in earth's crust makes up whole 5% off total weight . But, despite this, iron did not form on our planet on its own.

The history of the appearance of this chemical element on Earth is associated with colossal stars. As a result of the explosion of a new or supernova star, a huge mass of asteroids is formed, which contain large amounts of iron. These asteroids circle in outer space until they fall into the field of attraction of some cosmic body.

From all this, the conclusion follows that iron is of unearthly origin and came to Earth from space along with meteorites.

Without such a chemical element as iron, the origin of life on Earth would be impossible.

Most of our planet's core is made up of molten iron. It creates an electromagnetic field that protects our planet from all sorts of negative impacts from space (such as solar radiation)

Iron oxide is what gives the earth its brown color.

In nature, it is very rare to find iron in pure form. Pure iron comes to Earth from outer space, the so-called meteoric iron. Iron is mainly found in the form of compounds with other chemical elements - iron ores. Iron in the ore is presented in the form of oxides and oxides. Good iron ore contains up to 57% iron and above.

Iron in everyday life

In everyday life, we use alloys of iron with carbon - cast iron and iron alloys with other metals - all kinds of steel grades.

Mankind has been using iron for a very long time, but in ancient times it was used mainly meteoric iron. Finds from this metal are subsidized by the 8-12th century BC.

They knew how to smelt iron from ore in India, Anatolia and the Caucasus as early as the 12th century BC, but “the iron revolution took place somewhere in the first millennium BC. Iron began to spread rapidly around the world, pushing metals such as bronze out of use.

Today, metallurgical production is the basis of heavy industry, but they have not yet learned how to smelt steel from scrap metal alone. Steel is smelted from cast iron with the addition of scrap metal.

Iron in the human body

AT human body contained approximately 5 grams this metal.

Iron plays very important role in our body. For the transport and delivery of all nutrients to all our organs, a protein such as hemoglobin, which is based on iron, is responsible. Iron is responsible for energy in our body. Build this on your own chemical element our body can't. We get iron from the outside with food.

According to statistics up to 70% of people get less iron in full, and iron deficiency anemia affects more than 20% of our population. Mild forms of this type of anemia have virtually no symptoms, but have a significant impact on a person's health.

hedgehog daily rate intake of this mineral children's body should be 8-12 mg. For adult woman this rule should be at least 18 mg, after menopause, this rate is reduced to 8-10 mg. For a man, 8 mg per day is enough.

Iron is absorbed relatively easily, but vitamin C and organic acids are needed for its absorption. Oxalic acid, tannins and increased consumption of fiber interfere with the absorption of iron. Also, iron is not absorbed in the presence of calcium. Excessive consumption of tea and coffee interferes with the absorption of this essential substance by our body.

With a lack of iron, drowsiness, apathy and a lack of desire to do anything appear. Immunity decreases, hair loss and brittle nails increase, and the heartbeat quickens.

With an excess of this mineral in the body, constipation, indigestion, nausea and vomiting can occur.

Some interesting facts

It is thanks to iron that the color of our blood is red. In some marine life, the functions that iron performs in our body are performed by another element - copper. Therefore, the color of their blood is blue.
If all the iron is removed from the body, a person will live no more than two hours.
Iron is mentioned in the Qur'an. Surah 57 says - ".. we sent down to you iron, in which there is strong evil and many benefits for people .."
In its pure form, iron is a very ductile metal.
In the capital of India, there is a column of pure iron, the origin of which is still a mystery to scientists.
If you heat iron just above 800 degrees, it will lose its magnetic properties. This effect is called the Curie Point.
It is thanks to the magnetic properties of iron oxide that it became possible to record audio and video recordings on film.
AT ancient Europe Only representatives of the nobility could wear iron jewelry.
The largest iron meteorite was found in Namibia (Africa) in 1920. Its weight is about 66 tons. It is considered the largest piece of pure iron on our planet.
In addition to iron oxide, iron ore contains more than 300 minerals.
Iron is completely soluble in sulfuric and nitric acid.
In ancient times, iron was valued more than gold.
One pomegranate fruit contains the daily requirement of iron for a person.
At a temperature of 1535 degrees, iron begins to melt.
Rust is nothing but iron oxide.

Copper alloying iron

Relegated iron

The word "also", mentioned in the text of the verse "We also sent down iron" , indicates that other elements, not only iron, were brought down to Earth from outer space. Moreover, if we consider the special mention gland in this verse, in the light of the discoveries made by science at the end of the 20th century, the meaning of the verse leads us to a very interesting conclusion. The well-known microbiologist Michael Denton, in his book The Purpose of Nature, makes the following comment:

“Among all metals iron is the most vital and important for a person. Accumulation gland in the core of a star provokes a supernova explosion and, thus, makes it possible for atoms to spread throughout the universe gland necessary for life. Temperature formed by atoms gland, and the force of gravity inside the core at the initial stage of the formation of the Earth became the reason chemical changes Earth and, as a result, provided the prerequisites for the development of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. molten iron, located inside the core of the Earth, performs the function of a powerful magnet and forms the magnetic belt of the Earth. Thanks to this belt, high-energy Van Allen belts are formed, which protect the Earth from the effects of sizzling cosmic radiation and from the destruction of the Earth's ozone layer under the influence of cosmic rays ...

If there were no atoms gland, then it would be impossible for the very occurrence carbon base life would not be supernovae, the Earth would not have reached the temperature that existed at the initial stage of its formation, there would be no atmosphere and hydrosphere, there would be no protective magnetic belt, radiation belts Van Allen, there would be no ozone layer, there would be no metals (which make up the hemoglobin of human blood), no metals would form that could reduce the reactivity of oxygen, there would be no metabolic processes that could resist oxidation.

Mathematical Phenomenon gland

Notes

Literature

encyclopedic Dictionary young physicist. M., 1984, 1991

Iron ore is a mineral formation natural character, which has in its composition iron compounds accumulated in such a volume that is sufficient for its economically profitable extraction. Of course, iron is in the composition of all rocks. But iron ores are precisely those ferruginous compounds that are so rich in this substance that they allow industrial production metallic iron.

Types of iron ores and their main characteristics

All iron ores are very different in their mineral composition, the presence of harmful and beneficial impurities. The conditions of their formation and, finally, the content of iron.

The main materials that are classified as ore can be divided into several groups:

Iron oxides, which include hematite, martite, magnetite.
Iron hydroxides - hydrogoethite and goethite;
Silicates - thuringite and chamosite;
Carbonates - sideroplesite and siderite.

In industrial iron ores iron is contained in various concentrations - from 16 to 72%. Useful impurities contained in iron ores include: Mn, Ni, Co, Mo, etc. There are also harmful impurities, which include: Zn, S, Pb, Cu, etc.

Iron ore deposits and mining technology

By genesis, existing iron ore deposits are divided into:

Endogenous. They can be igneous, which are inclusions of titanomagnetite ores. There may also be carbonatite inclusions. In addition, there are lenticular, sheet-like skarn-magnetite deposits, volcano-sedimentary sheet deposits, hydrothermal veins, as well as irregular shape ore bodies.
Exogenous. These mainly include brown-iron and siderite sedimentary reservoir deposits, as well as deposits of thuringite, chamosite and hydrogoethite ores.
Metamorphogenic - these are deposits of ferruginous quartzites.

The maximum volumes of ore mining are provoked by significant reserves and fall on Precambrian ferruginous quartzites. Sedimentary brown iron ores are less common.

When mining, rich and requiring enrichment of ores are distinguished. The iron ore mining industry also carries out its pre-processing: sorting, crushing and the aforementioned enrichment, as well as agglomeration. The ore mining industry is referred to as the iron ore industry and is raw material base for ferrous metallurgy.

Application industries

Iron ore is the main raw material for iron production. It enters the open-hearth or converter production, as well as for the reduction of iron. From iron, as you know, they produce a wide variety of products, as well as from cast iron. The following industries need these materials:

Mechanical engineering and metalworking;
Automotive industry;
Rocket industry;
military industry;
Food and light industry;
Building sector;
Extraction of oil and gas and their transportation.

Enjoy our list of interesting iron and steel facts. Learn about the benefits and properties of iron and steel and how they have been used throughout history.

Find out what is wrought iron and cast iron, why your bike rusts, what contains the Earth's core, which country produces the most iron, examples of iron rich foods, and more with our fun iron and steel facts.

Iron is a chemical element and a metal. Its chemical symbol is Fe, and its atomic number — 26.

When iron and oxygen react in the presence of water or moisture, rust (iron oxide) is formed. You may have noticed from time to time that your bike chain (or other parts) gets rusty (especially if you don't take care of it). Another word for rusting is corrosion, which describes the breakdown of materials such as iron and steel.

Because iron is easily oxidized, it is rarely found in its pure metallic form on the Earth's surface. Instead, it is removed from ores (rocks containing important minerals and elements).

Iron is the 4th most abundant element in the earth's crust, accounting for about 5% of total(commonly referred to as iron oxide in minerals such as hematite).

The core of the Earth is believed to be composed of an alloy of iron and nickel.

Gas giant plants such as Saturn and Jupiter have iron-rich nuclei.

Iron is the 6th most common element found in the universe.

Steel is a well known and commonly used iron alloy and is not a large number of carbon (or sometimes other elements). The amount of carbon is small (typically 0.2% to 2.0%), but it makes a huge difference to strength.

Steel can be about 1000 times stronger than pure iron.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France is made of puddle iron. Cast iron is a form of wrought iron, an iron alloy with a very low carbon content. Wrought iron was commonly used throughout Western history, but no longer produced in large quantities due to the presence of steel.

Early wrought iron used in human history actually came from meteors!

Cast iron is iron containing carbon, silicon and a small amount of manganese. Previously, it was used to create structures such as cast iron bridges. Like wrought iron most of its applications has been replaced by steel.

The Iron Age was prehistoric times when useful tools and weapons were first made of iron and steel. Dates that happened in different parts world are different, and historians suggest around the 12th century BC in Ancient Greece and VI century BC in Northern Europe.

In 2006, China was the world's largest iron producer, accounting for about 33% of the world's total production.

Iron is relatively cheap to produce and has a wide variety of uses.

Cars, vehicles and building structures are usually made of iron (usually in the form of steel).

In order to prevent damage to iron and steel, they can be painted, plastic-coated, galvanized (zinc plated), or other methods that do not contain water and oxygen.

Iron in the human body has a number important functions including the transport of oxygen into the body in the form of hemoglobin. Iron deficiency can be quite common (especially among women) with a range of possible symptoms including fatigue and weakness.

Iron-rich foods include red meat, fish, tofu, beans, and chickpeas.

Iron (denoted by the chemical symbol Fe, pronounced ferrum in Latin) is a silvery-white metal. Iron without impurities of other elements is soft, flexible and ductile (it can be drawn into a thin wire).

At room temperature, iron is easily magnetized. However, it is difficult to magnetize it when heated. Magnetic properties iron disappear at a temperature of about +800 °C.

In its pure natural state, iron is found only in a few places on Earth, for example, in western Greenland. Pure iron is sometimes found in meteorites. Much more iron occurs in the form of chemical compounds. Iron is extracted from ores containing such minerals as hematite, goethite, magnetite, siderite and pyrite.

Iron is also one of the constituents of hemoglobin, a complex protein found in red blood cells - erythrocytes. RBCs carry oxygen and carbon dioxide in the human body. Iron easily enters into chemical reactions. It, for example, reacts with halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine), with sulfur, phosphorus and carbon.

Iron is soluble in most dilute acids. It can burn in the presence of oxygen. At the same time, pure iron is used for the production of galvanized sheet metal and electromagnets.

In medicine, iron-containing preparations are prescribed for patients with anemia (with too low a content of red blood cells in the blood). On contact with moist air, iron oxidizes to hydroxide (Fe2Os + H20), a reddish-brown layered substance also called rust.

Iron can be forged. To do this, it is red-hot, and then repeatedly flattened or squeezed. This process makes iron more durable and wear-resistant.

Steel is a malleable alloy of iron (base) with carbon (with a carbon content of 0.1-1.5%). Steel is the same Chemical properties like iron. For improvement mechanical properties steel is usually hardened. To do this, it is first heated red-hot, and then lowered into a cold liquid. This gives the steel greater hardness (hardened steel). Steel is used as structural materials, in the manufacture of tools, weapons. There are special grades of steel special properties(stainless, heat-resistant).

Cast iron is an alloy of iron (base) with carbon (2-5%). Cast iron tends to be brittle due to its high carbon content. In a smaller amount, cast iron contains impurities - silicon, sulfur, phosphorus and manganese. cast iron can be cast various products, such as, for example, frying pans or fence grates. Cast iron is used in steelmaking.