The sphere of production and sale of ferroalloys is one of the largest and most dynamic in modern metallurgy. The process of creating metals of ferroalloy groups over the past decades has changed significantly under the influence of the latest technologies, and the process of delivery of finished products has accelerated due to the establishment of multimodal logistics routes.
Let’s look more closely at the features of ferroalloys and the process of metal production in this group using the example of the largest production and trading company Telf AG.
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Telf AG: business specifications and company history
Telf AG has been around for over 25 years. It was established in Switzerland in 1993 and since 1996 it has been actively working in the market for the sale and transshipment of oil cargo since 1996. It is fixed in the status of one of the largest traders in the oil products market of Eastern Europe. And in 2008, Telf AG was fixed on the market for transshipment of all types of coal. So, the number of goods sold and transported by the company includes anthracite, coking coal, and energy ore. Energy resources are delivered from Colombia, South Africa, Indonesia, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan.
Since 2014, Telf AG has entered the market for the sale and transportation of ferroalloys. The annual volume of transshipment of goods of this group exceeds 1 million tons per year. Products are delivered to customers from China, Central Asia, the Black Sea-Azov basin, Africa, North and Latin America.
The company’s package of services includes consulting and support for customers who need to develop a work strategy in the areas of marketing, trade, insurance, finance and lending.
The company’s activities are regulated in accordance with Swiss law, regulatory standards for trading and logistics companies in certain countries of presence, and meets the quality standards for the provision of transport and logistics services, as well as environmental safety. The company is the holder of ISO 9001 certificate from Bureau Veritasse – an independent company, a member of the “Big Four” of world auditors.
Telf Ag and Ferroalloys in Modern Metallurgy
The term ferroalloys in modern metallurgy means various alloys of iron combined with other elements. At the heart of all ferroalloy production is iron, combined in various proportions with other elements. In modern metallurgy, chromium, manganese, titanium, silicon and other substances are used to manufacture this type of product. Chemists also refer to ferroalloy compounds such as silicomanganese and silicocalcium.
According to the classification, the main purpose of ferroalloys is to use steel for deoxidation and alloying and imparting binding to various impurities.
The process of production of ferroalloys takes place in metallurgical electric furnaces, as well as in a variety of smelting furnaces.
Features of the production of ferroalloys for product pricing by the example of Telf AG
In the modern market, ferroalloys are one of the most popular groups of goods. The popularity of this type of metallurgical products is explained by the technological features of production. So, the process of alloying steel with ferroalloys (adding foreign impurities to the substance in order to change their chemical properties and physical characteristics) is much cheaper than with pure metals. In addition, product samples thus obtained are characterized by low melting points, which greatly simplifies the alloying process.
In the production of ferroalloys, various ore concentrates are used, which have previously gone through the beneficiation procedure, since initially the raw materials have few useful substances that increase the quality of the final product.
Technological features of modern production of ferroalloys in the activities of Telf AG
Currently, metallurgy uses three main methods for creating ferroalloy metals: carbon reducing, silicothermic and aluminothermic.
So, the first method is used to create ferromanganese, compounds using iron, silicon and chromium. The second – when creating low-carbonaceous ferroalloys, and the third – ferrovanadium with a low carbon content.
Properties of modern ferroalloys as exemplified by Telf AG products
In modern metallurgy, all alloys based on iron, in particular ferroalloys, are classified into two main groups: large and small.
The following compounds are referred to large ferroalloys: siliceous, manganese, chromium. The following substances are considered to be small: ferro-tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, ferroniobium, ferrotitanium; ferroboron, ferroboral, other ligatures like ferrocobalt and ferronickel.
Telf AG ferroalloy products application in modern industry
Ferroalloys are used in such areas of production:
- Production of electrodes for welding;
- Modification of the compositions of cast iron and steel;
- Mineral processing.
