Bulk Trading
Intl Material’s bulk trading arm is fast becoming a leader in the supplying and trading of dry bulk raw materials throughout the world. Focusing on efficiency, reliability, and relationships, Intl Material provides all services to get raw materials and resources from producer to end consumer. The unit maintains strong working relationships with banking institutions and maritime partners in many regions of the world to facilitate the financing, handling, transportation, chartering and distribution of the diverse bulk commodities listed below:
Ferrous Raw Materials
Direct Reduced Iron (DRI)
A synthetically manufactured product created when iron ore undergoes the reduction process after heating to nearly 1000 °C, removing the oxygen and carbon content. DRI has the advantage of being used as a supplement to steel scrap in Electric Arc Furnaces or “mini-mills.” It can often be used in conventional blast furnaces with similar Fe properties as pig iron. DRI is produced in South America, India and northern Australia.
Mill Scale
A black or gray, high iron residue formed as a result of the steel cold rolling process. Mill scale is often considered to have no resale value but can be blended with steel scrap or used as a replacement for iron ore given its high Fe, when ferrous market prices are elevated.
Pig Iron
A solid casted iron product gray in color and high in carbon that is manufactured from smelted iron ore. Along with coke, iron ore & steel scrap, pig iron becomes an essential raw material feedstock into the blast furnace to produce crude steel.
Iron Ore
Iron ore is the main mineral used in blast furnaces to produce steel. After coal, it is the largest traded bulk commodity by volume in the world. It is characterized either as magnetite, hematite or taconite, depending on Fe content %. Iron ore can vary in color (gray, brown, charcoal, etc.) and takes the form of lumps, pellets, fines, concentrate or sand. Australia is the #1 producer of the material, followed by Brazil and Canada. China remains the largest market for iron ore with consumption of 70% of the world’s production.
Bauxite & Alumina
Bauxite
Bauxite is a naturally occurring oxide ore that is used as the primary raw material when producing aluminum. The ore can be distinguished by its reddish-brown color and is typically found in shallow deposits occurring beneath sediment and therefore, making extraction easier than other minerals. The material can sometimes be used as a replacement for clay and aggregate in niche industries. Bauxite is mostly traded in dry bulk arrangements.
Alumina
Bauxite ore can be further processed and refined into Alumina Oxide, an integral component of the primary aluminum smelting process. The material is typically white or gray in color and retains high Al2O3%, nearly pure 98-99%. The product is traded globally, with major markets being where aluminum smelter capacity is highest, mainly Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Given its properties, alumina is also highly used in the ceramics and refractory industries. IMT trades bauxite & alumina into the aluminum, cement, metallurgical and refractory industries.
Energy & Industrial Fuels
Green Pet. Coke
Often referred to as “Petcoke,” is a solid waste residue that is the byproduct of “cracking” process when refining petroleum. The material is black or charcoal in color and can range in size/shape from fine dust particles to that of a large ball. Petcoke retains a high carbon concentration, high calorific heat value, low ash but higher sulfur levels than most other solid fuels. Given the material’s characteristics, it is ideal for applications requiring high energy usage, such as cement and glass manufacturing.
Anode-Grade Pet. Coke
Green Petcoke that has undergone the “calcining” process in a rotary kiln then becomes Anode-Grade Petcoke. In the process, metal impurities and moisture are driven off, resulting in a highly concentrated, sponge-like product that is charcoal in color. Anode-Grade Petcoke is mainly used in the manufacturing of green anodes for primary aluminum smelting worldwide.
Carbon Anodes
Anodes (Prebaked) are a manufactured product containing calcined petcoke and waste anode fragments bonded by tar-pitch. They are then baked at 1100-1200°C to produce a graphitized, rectangular shaped block used as an electricity conductor during smelting aluminum. Rivore trades green anodes, prebaked anodes and waste anodes for reuse.
Termal Coal & Coke
The primary coal used in electricity generation globally. Thermal coal, also referred to as “steam coal” is used in industrial boilers to make steam to run the turbines during power generation. Thermal coal can be either bituminous & sub-bituminous, with a range of heating values. Thermal coal still remains the primary source for power generation in both the developed & developing world, being the lower cost (per calorific value unit) when compared to other sources such as natural gas or renewables.
Metallurgical Coal & Coke
Often referred to as “Coking Coal,” is the primary coal used to produce “coke,” the integral ingredient used in blast furnaces for steel production. It is a bituminous coal with lower sulfur & ash than thermal coal. Prior to use in steel making, metallurgical coal is heated to more than 1000 °C in a battery oven, removing excess moisture and volatile matter and producing a highly concentrated carbon solid - metallurgical coke. The material that is paired with iron ore in the blast furnace. Large met coal deposits are found within the Appalachian region of the USA, Australia, Western Canada, CIS region and Russia.
Intl Material trades various coal & coke products into the steel, metallurgical, cement and power industries.