A method for producing iron fuel

A method for producing iron fuel from metal oxide containing charge materials via reducing the metal oxide containing charge materials, the method comprising the following steps:

• feeding metal oxide containing charge materials to a fluidized bed unit, the metal oxide containing charge materials having a Sauter mean particle size of at least 10, and at most 300 μm,
• reducing the metal oxide containing charge materials by flowing a reduction gas through the fluidized bed unit, wherein the fluidized bed unit is operated under the conditions of a pressure in a range of 3 and 13 atm a temperature in a range of 400 and 800° C., and a reduction gas velocity in the fluidized bed unit in a range of 5 and 200 cm/s,
• removing partially spent reduction gas from the fluidized bed unit,
• admixing the partially spent reduction gas with fresh reduction gas and returning the mixture of partially spent reduction gas and fresh reduction gas to the fluidized bed unit,
• removing a stream containing iron fuel from the fluidized bed unit, the iron fuel removed from the fluidized bed having a Sauter mean particle size of at least 10, and at most 200 μm,
• wherein the step of removing the stream containing iron fuel from the fluidized bed unit comprises the following sub-steps:
• transporting the stream containing iron fuel to a vessel and cooling the stream containing iron fuel while under pressure, wherein an inert gas flow during cooling is applied for removing moisture from the iron fuel,
• reducing the pressure of the vessel to ambient pressure, and
• storing the iron fuel thus obtained.