China's new roasting process seen unlocking 30 bln tonnes of idle iron ore

A breakthrough beneficiation technology capable of upgrading refractory low-grade iron ore into high-grade concentrate has proved successful at Ansteel Mining's Anshan facility in Northeast China's Liaoning province, marking a technically credible route to activating China's long-idle low-grade iron ore resources, state media Xinhua News Agency reported.

The concentrating project, which passed completion acceptance on September 1, comprises three production lines, each with an annual capacity of 1.85 million tonnes/year, for a combined processing capacity of 5.56 million t/y. Main construction began in March 2024, and commercial production started in January this year. What sets the facility