Ferroalloys

A ferroalloy is an alloy of iron with a high proportion of one or more other elements such as manganese (Mn), aluminium (Al), or silicon (Si). They are used in the production of steels and alloys. The alloys impart distinctive qualities to steel and cast iron or serve important functions during production and are, therefore, closely associated with the iron and steel industry, the leading consumer of ferroalloys. The leading producers of ferroalloys in 2014 were China, South Africa, India, Russia and Kazakhstan, which accounted for 84% of the world production. World production of ferroalloys w

thumb|250px|Ferrosilicon alloy

thumb|A handful of mischmetal pellets

thumb|right|200px|Widmanstätten pattern showing the two forms of Nickel-Iron, Kamacite and Taenite, in an octahedrite meteorite Taenite is a mineral found naturally on Earth mostly in iron meteorites. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, with a chemical formula of and nickel proportions of 20% up to 65%.

thumb|Spark trails from a cigarette lighter thumb|Ferrocerium "flint" from a lighter Ferrocerium (also known in Europe as Auermetall) is a synthetic pyrophoric alloy of mischmetal (cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, other trace lanthanides and some iron – about 95% lanthanides and 5% iron) hardened by blending in oxides of iron and/or magnesium. When struck with a harder material, friction produces hot fragments that oxidize rapidly when exposed to the oxygen in the air, producing sparks that can reach temperatures of . The effect is due to the low ignition temperature of cerium, between

thumb|Ferrochrome alloy

thumb|right|250px|Ferromanganese metal, note mirror-like sheen responsible for German name spiegel

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thumb| Samples of ferrotitanium with 70% titanium content, used in the steel industry (placed on A4 sheet)|250px|right Ferrotitanium is a ferroalloy, an alloy of iron and titanium with between 10 and 20% iron and 45–75% titanium and sometimes a small amount of carbon. It is used in steelmaking as a cleansing agent for iron and steel; the titanium is highly reactive with sulfur, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, forming insoluble compounds and sequestering them in slag, and is therefore used for deoxidizing, and sometimes for desulfurization and denitrogenation. In steelmaking, the addition of tita

Ferro molybdenum is an important iron-molybdenum metal alloy, with a molybdenum content of 60–75% It is the main source for molybdenum alloying of HSLA steel.

Ferroboron (FeB) is a ferroalloy consisting of iron and boron. The metal usually contains 17.5% to 20% boron and is used to produce boron steels.

Ferroniobium is an important iron-niobium alloy, with a niobium content of 60-70%. It is the main source for niobium alloying of HSLA steel and covers more than 80% of the worldwide niobium production. The niobium is mined from pyrochlore deposits and is subsequently transformed into the niobium pentoxide Nb2O5. This oxide is mixed with iron oxide and aluminium and is reduced in an aluminothermic reaction to niobium and iron. The component metals can be purified in an electron beam furnace or the alloy can be used as it is. For alloying with steel the ferroniobium is added to molten steel befo