Method for producing an agglomerate made of fine material containing metal oxide for use as a blast furnace feed material

Method for producing an agglomerate comprising the following steps:

• step a) providing metal- and/or metal oxide containing fines, wherein said fines have intermediate grain sizes between about 0.2 mm to 0.7 mm and the proportion of ore containing this intermediate grain size fine is more than 30% wt.,
• step b) providing a mineral binder which contains a mineral raw material and a lime based material;
• wherein said mineral raw material comprises a clay mineral wherein said clay mineral comprises a silicon oxide in a proportion of at least 40 wt. %, and a finest grain proportion of less than 4 μm of at least 20 wt. % and a grain size proportion of less than 1 μm of at least 10 wt. % and wherein said lime-based material is selected from lime, lime stone, quick lime, slaked lime, hydrated lime, dolomite, dolomitic lime, dolomitic quick lime, dolomitic hydrated lime and mixtures or any combinations of these materials;
• step c) mixing the metal- and/or metal oxide containing fines from step a with the mineral binder from step b to obtain a mixture;
• step d) heat treatment of the mixture of metal- and/or metal oxide containing fines from step a with the a mineral binder from step b to obtain an agglomerate.