Process for sintering iron oxide-containing materials on a sintering machine

In a process of sintering iron oxide-containing materials on a sintering machine, wherein a sinterable mixture which contains solid fuel is charged onto the sintering machine;

• the sinterable mixture is ignited on its surface;
• oxygen-containing gases are passed through the sinterable mixture;
• part of the exhaust gas is enriched by an addition of a higher-oxygen gas and is then recirculated as oxygen-containing recycle gas;
• and the other part of the exhaust gas is discharged as tail gas, wherein the improvement is the tail gas which consists of exhaust gas is removed from the process at a rate which corresponds to the rate at which gas is produced by the sintering process, plus the rate at which higher-oxygen gas is added for enriching, plus the rate at which inleaked air has infiltrated from the outside, minus the rate at which oxygen is consumed, and the other partial stream of the exhaust gas is recirculated as recycle gas and before being applied to the sinterable mixture is enriched to contain up to 24% oxygen by the addition of higher-oxygen gases.