Sustainable Plasma Technology for Oxide Ore Reduction: A Review

To reduce the greenhouse gas emissions during the extraction of metal from metal oxides, the focus of both industry and researchers has shifted toward finding alternative routes of extraction technologies. Among other explored techniques, plasma has emerged as an alternative to carbothermic reduction due to its thermodynamic and kinetic advantages, which allow the reduction of oxides at much lower temperatures. The present article reviews the previously published works on the various kinds of plasma techniques using various gases, such as hydrogen, methane, and nitrogen–argon, used for the reduction of metal oxides. The study incorporates the hydrogen plasma reduction of both ferrous and nonferrous oxides and also critically reviews the effect of different types of plasma and their operating practices, advantages, and disadvantages. Further, the technological gaps and future direction of work are also suggested.