Now lets discuss the iron and

steel industry;
Occurrence of Iron;
Iron is the second most abundant
metal on earth and it is also the
fourth most abundant element in
the earth crust.
Iron is found in most parts of
the world, usually in 4 forms
(COSS)
1. Carbonates
2. Oxides
3. Sulfdes
4. Silicates.
1
Howeer !ost of the Iron
produced comes from " forms
of O#ides Ores;
1. Hematite (Fe2O3
2. !a"netic (Fe3O4
!ost of these ores used to
contains 2#$%#& of iron' (ith the
remainin" )ortions bein" Sand and
Cla*.
Ho(e+er ,- in )articular has ores
(hich are )oor in .ualit* containin"
about 2/& iron de)osits. 0hese
da*s Hi"her .ualit* ores are
)referred therefore com)an* "o to
"reat len"th to retrie+e them
2
mainl* in (S111 Scandina+ia'
1ustralia' 1merican and 2orth
1frica.
$here are " ways used to mine
these Ores either %ound in
these particular places either
&y3
1. 4uarr* minin"
O5
2. O)en Cast !inin".
3
Now 'ets discuss the
Historical (eelopment
!an* *ears a"o it (as 6no(n that
(hen Iron Oxide (as Heated (ith
Charcoal Fire' a S)on"* solid mass
of Iron (as then formed.
0his mass in turn could then be
beaten and turned into an* sha)e
that (as then used for tools and
(ea)ons.
7+entuall* instead of 8ust burnin"
the iron oxide in heated charcoal
fre in an o)en en+ironment' a
bunch of )rimiti+e furnaces (ere
built into the hillside' (hich (ere
facin" the )re+ailin" (ind.
4
1fter (hich these furnaces (ere
then flled (ith char"ed coal and
iron ore and (as left to burn for 3$4
da*s and onl* after the fre has
burned out' solid lum)s of Iron (as
remo+ed and the )rocess (as
started u) a"ain.
0hese furnaces (ere 6no(n as
9atch furnaces.
It is im)ortant to 6no( these 2
)laces (hich (ere +er* im)ortant
sites of Iron Foundries in the middle
a"es' these t(o )laces (ere
Sta:ordshire Hills around Cannoc6
and the ;eald of -ent.
0hese t(o )laces are im)ortant
because these (ere the frst )laces
<
to )roduce iron b* ensurin" that
the Crude furnaces (ere con+erted
to ta6e a constant blast of 1ir' this
(as done b* usin" 9ello(s.
0hese bello(s (hich (ere
res)onsible for blastin" air to the
furnace (as made usin" ;ater
;heels.
0he )ur)ose for this blast of air
(as to )roduce Hi"her tem)erature
in the furnaces thus causin" the
iron to melt much .uic6er.
0his is ho( the name =9last
Furnace> came about.
1nd at this time the same )eo)le
(ho had disco+ered the Iron' has
?
also learned ho( to cast molten
iron into molds.
Now lets discuss $he Industrial
)eolution
Iron Oxide in the furnace (as
Charcoal' ho(e+er this (as soon
about to chan"e.
1 "u* named @ud @udle* (as the
frst to )ioneer the use of coal and
co6e instead of charcoal to fuel the
furnace.
9ut it (as not until the 1%##s that
Co6e alone (as used.
%
0he )erson to )ioneer the use of
co6e alone (as 1braham @arb* at
Coalbroo6dale in Shro)shire.
He (as the one (ho be"an usin"
co6e in the smeltin" of Iron in the
blast furnace.
O+er time es)eciall* in the 1/##s
the 9last furnace "re( in SiAe and
Com)lexit*.
1 Shro)shire furnace in the 1/##s
made u) 2# tons of Iron each
(ee6. 0hese da*s a modern blast
furnace can )roduce u) to 1# ###
tons in a da*.
Now lets discuss the Iron and
Steel Industry in South *frica
/
Iron+
In South 1frica the main )roducer
of Iron is the com)an* named Iscor.
Iscor !ines o)erates in t(o )laces3
One found in the 2orth ;est in a
)lace called 0habaAimbi.
0he other is found in the 2orthern
Ca)e in a )lace called Sishen.
2o( letBs discuss the Iron reser+es
found in the 9ush+eld.
One of these Iron reser+es is called
=11C !a)och>. 1nd 11C !a)och is
found near 5oossene6al. 0he
)roduct mined in the 11C !a)och
is a )roduct named 0itaniferous
!a"netits ((hich is made u) of C$
D
<? & Iron' /$1<& 0itanium and 1.4$
2.2& of Eandium Fentoxide.
0he )roducts (hich are mined at
11C !a)och are then sent to a
Hi"h+eld Steel and Eanadium )lant
found near ;itban6.
0hese )lants con+ert 0itaniferous
!a"netites to Steel and Eanadium.
1nd 0he* also su))l* the com)an*
of Columbus Stainless Steel
Com)an* b* )ro+idin" them (ith
Iron.
Steel3
Iscor Steel o)eration is made u) of
4 !a8or Facilities that )roduce both
Gat and lon" steel )roduct.
1#
0he com)an* Gat o)eration are
made b* a )lace called the
Eanderbi8i)ar6 Steel com)an* as
(ell as b* a Saldanha steel
com)an* these t(o com)anies
)roduce 4.D million tons of li.uid
steel )er annum' ma6in" them the
lar"est su))lier of these
commodities in Sub$Saharan 1frica.
1nd the com)anies (hich are the
)roducers of lon" steel is the
2e(castle Steel com)an* and the
Eereeni"in" Steel O)eration' these
t(o com)anies are considered as
South 1fricaBs Fremier lon" steel
)roducers ser+icin" 43& of the
11
local mar6et and maintainin" a frm
footin" internationall*.
1 little more about the Hi"h+eld
Steel and Eanadium Com)an*' this
com)an* )ro+ides ser+ices and
)roducts centraliAed around
!)umalan"a. 0his com)an*
)roduces about 1 million tons of
steel bloc6s annuall*. 4#& of these
bloc6s are used to ma6e structural
sections and 4<& is used to ma6e
)lates' coiled )lates and steel
sheets (hile the remainin" 1<& is
used to cast billets (li+in" .uarters
to be sold for re$rollin".

12
Now lets discuss the
,roduction of Iron;
Froduction of Iron from Iron ores3
Since the element Iron (Fe is one
of the most abundant elements
found in the earth crust and it also
constitutes about <& of the total
mass of the earth crust. It can also
13
be found in Iron ores (hich contain
%#& if Iron.
0his ores that contain Iron can be
referred to as !inerals. 1nd these
!inerals contain lar"e amounts of
Iron .uantities and are an
im)ortant source of Iron. 0hese
minerals can be di+ided into 4
"rou)s accordin" to their chemical
com)osition.
0hese 4 "rou)s are (COSS namel*
Carbonates' Oxides' Sulfdes and
Silicates.
14
Car&onates hae - mineral
called Siderite (%eCO
.
)/
O#ides hae . minerals
(!H') these are as follows3
1.!a"netic (Fe
3
O
4
consistin" of
%2'4& Fe' 2.? O
2
(!a"netic !ineral is a @ar6 Hre* to
9lac6 in color and is Hi"hl*
!a"netic' 0hus the name
2.Hematite (Fe
2
O
3
consistin" of
?D.D& Fe' 3#.1& O
2
(Hematite !ineral is a Steel
Hre* to @ull 5ed in color and is
+er* im)ortant for Iron
1<
!anufacturin" and this mineral
is 2on$!a"netic
3.Iimonite (HFeO
2
J FeO(OH
consistin" of ?2.D& Fe' 2%&
O
2
' 1#.1& H
2
O
(Iimonite is Kello( L 9ro(n to 9lac6
in color
Sul0de has . minerals (,!,)
made up of Iron;
1.F*rite (FeS
2

1?
2.!arcasite (hich is ;hite Iron
F*rite
3.F*rrhotite (hich is !a"netic
Iron F*rite
Silicates hae " !inerals
(C1) which contain Iron;
1.Chamosite
2.Hrunerite
(9oth +aries and both ha+e
com)lex com)ositions
1%
Now lets discuss the 2last
%urnace (2%)
IetBs discuss the )ur)ose of the
9last Furnace.
0o )roduce Fure Iron from Iron
Oxide' Ox*"en needs to be
remo+ed from the iron oxide.
For this to be achie+ed a blast
furnace must be used to refne this
iron ore to )ure iron.
0he !1I2 Fur)ose of the 9last
Furnace is to chemicall* reduce
Iron Ores to Fure Iron as (ell as
)h*sicall* con+ert Iron Oxide to
li.uid Iron' this Iron li.uid can be
called =Hot !etal>.
1/

Now lets descri&e the *ctual
2last %urniture
0he blast furnace consists of a
Steel C*linder about 3#m in hei"ht'
(ith a base if 1#m in diameter.
0he actual c*linder used is lined
(ith fre)roof bric6s.
0he to) of the c*linder is ftted (ith
a s*stem for loadin" of ra(
material (ra( materials include iron
oxides' co6e and limestone.
0he outlet )i)es stemmin" from
the c*linder is used for (aste "as.
1nd at the bottom of the c*linder is
a series of noAAles called =tu*eres>.
1D
0hese tu*eres are used to blo( hot
air in from the hot blast sto+es.
Now lets discuss the )aw
!aterials used in the 2last
%urnace3
0he ra( materials used in the blast
furnace are Iron Oxides' Co6e and
Iimestone.
Iron Oxides can come into the
9last Furnace )lant in the three
of the follo(in" forms3
a.5a( Ore
b.Fellets
c. Sinter
2#
0he co6e used in the blast
furnace is )roduced from a
mixture of coals.
0he )ieces of co6e used in the
blast furnace )ro+ide 3 thin"s to
the Iron oxides' it )ro+ides3
a. Fermeabilit*'
b. Heat
c. Hases
0hese three com)onents are used
to reduce and melt the Iron ore'
)ellets and sinter.
0he limestone (hich comes from
the earth' is remo+ed from the
earth b* blastin" ex)losi+es and
the )ieces of limestone is then
21
crushed and screened to the
re.uired siAe and is then used as
Gux in the blast furnace'
(referred to as blast furnace Gux
(Iimestone contains man* di:erent
elements' one of these elements
include Calcium. 1nd calcium is
used to combine (ith silicate to
form Sla".
0his sla" is used to remo+e Sulfur
and other im)urities.
Ho(e+er this is not the onl*
combination of sla" (hich can be
formed. 0he blast furnace o)erator
ma* blend man* di:erent stones
to"ether to )roduce the desired
sla" chemistr* he or she (ants and
22
to create o)timum sla" )ro)erties
such as Io( meltin" )oint and hi"h
Guidit* (hich is desired.
29. Flease stud* the 9last Furnace
dia"ram found on )a"e 21/ in the
stud* "uide.

Now lets discuss the actual
,rocess which occurs in the
2last %urnace;
Firstl*' the co6e descends from the
to) to the bottom of the furnace. It
ends u) at a le+el (here the
)reheated air (Hot 9last enters the
furnace.
Once the co6e comes into contact
(ith the hot air' it i"nites and
23
immediatel* reacts to "enerate
heat as follo(s3

C C O
2
M CO
2
C Heat (4
(5eaction 1
0his reaction "i+es o: heat
therefore it is an exothermic
reaction. 0he tem)erature at the
bottom of the furnace has no(
risen to 1D## de"rees Celsius as a
result of this reaction.
0he abo+e reaction ta6es )lace in a
Carbon rich en+ironment and as a
result the Froduct Carbon @ioxide
24
is reduced to Carbon !onoxide as
follo(s3
C C CO
2
M 2 CO L H710 (5eaction 9
Iess heat is )resent after this
reaction has ta6en )lace' therefore
this reaction absorbs heat and is
therefore an endothermic reaction.
0his tem)erature falls to 11##
de"rees Celsius.
1s a result of the abo+e reaction
for both the )re+ious reaction' this
reaction follo(s3
C C #.<O
2
M CO C H710 (5eaction
C
0his reaction is releases heat
therefore it is exothermic.
2<
(In com)arison of these t(o abo+e
reactions the third reaction is the
)roduct but the sum the abo+e t(o
reactions before the third reaction
too6 )lace' reaction 9 absorbs onl*
a small amount of heat released
from reaction 1 therefore the
o+erall reaction of reaction C
releases heat. 0he remainin" heat
is used to heat u) the burden in
the blast furnace.
1s a result the Iron Ore' Fellets and
Sinter are then reduced b* a series
of chemical reactions usin" Carbon
!onoxide (CO as the main
2?
reducin" a"ent in the 9last
Furnace.
Now lets e#plore how the Iron
O#ides are reduced to form
Iron/ $his reduction process
ta3es place in . sta4es3
1.3Fe
3
O
4
C CO M2Fe
3
O
3
C CO
2
C
Heat
(0his reduction reaction ta6es )lace
in the u))er Aone in the blast
furnace
2%
2.Fe
3
O
4
C CO M 3 FeO C CO
2
$
Heat
(0his reaction ta6es )lace in the
u))er reduction Aone. In this
reaction Heat is absorbed therefore
this reaction is 7ndothermic
5eaction.
3.FeO C CO M Fe C CO
2
LHeat
(0his reaction ta6es )lace in the
Io(er reduction Aone. In this
reaction Heat is absorbed therefore
this reaction is 7ndothermic
5eaction.
0he O+erall 5eaction is as follo(s3
Fe
2
O
3(S
C 3CO
("
M 2Fe
(l
C 3CO
2("
L
Heat
2/
(29. 1s the Iron Oxides are "oin"
throu"h these )urif*in" reactions'
the* frst start to soften' than melt
and fnall* the* tric6le as li.uid Iron
throu"h the co6e to the bottom of
the furnace.
Now lets discuss the other
reaction which ta3es place in
the &last furnace3
0hese reaction in+ol+e CSF!S
(Carbon' Sulfur' Fhos)horous'
!an"anese' Silicon
2D
0hese are the reactions
indi+iduall*3
Car&on
Carbon is 1bsorbed in Iron (Fe
(hich then Go(s in a molten
condition o+er the Co6e in the
Io(er Fart of the furnace.
Sulfur
Sulfur is found in the char"e as free
S in the co6e' and is also found as
FeS (Iron Sulfur in the ore.
0he lar"est amount of Sulfur is
absorbed b* sla"' this is done b*
usin" Iimestone in the )resence of
Carbon.
3#
C C CaO C FeS M CaS C Fe C CO
,hosphorous
Fhos)horous is found in the form
Calcium Fhos)hate ( Ca(FO
4
' this
form is than bro6en do(n into F
2
O
<
.
F
2
O
<
C < C M <2 F C < CO
(1fter (hich almost all the Fhos)horous is
absorbed b* Iron (Fe as Fe
3
F.
!an4anese
!nO C C M !n C CO
%<& of !an"anese (!n is
absorbed b* Iron (Fe as free !n.
31
Silicon
SiO
2
C 2 C M Si C 2 CO
Ho(e+er the !a8orit* of the silica
lea+es the furnace as SiO
2
in the
sla".
(In conclusion' the (hole )rocess is
as follo(s' the ra( materials ta6e
?$/ hours to descend do(n to the
bottom of the furnace' (here the*
then become the fnal )roduct of
32
Ii.uid Sla" 12@ the Ii.uid Iron.
;hile it ta6es ?$/ Seconds for the
hot air to ascend to the to) of the
furnace after "oin" throu"h
numerous chemical reactions.
Now lets discuss where the
waste 4as 4oes to5
0he (aste "ases are lea+es the
blast furnace at the to) and is then
cleaned. Since these (aste "ases
33
contain H*dro"en and Carbon
monoxide' after it is cleaned' it is
then used as Fuel to heat the HO0
1I5 S0OE7S.
Now lets discuss how Iron is
made5
0he limestone (CaCO3' Calcium
Carbonate' (hich is used in the
blast furnace is used to combine
(ith the im)urities from the iron
ore.
1fter the limestone has
decom)osed in the hot )art of the
furnace it then forms Calcium
!onoxide and Carbon @ioxide.
34
CaCO3(s C heat M CaO (s C
CO2 ("
0he Calcium Oxide then combines
(ith the Silica (sand im)urities
found in the ore to form Calcium
Silicate (Sla".
CaO (s C SiO2 (s M CaSiO3 (l
0he Calcium Silicate is in the form
of a li.uid sla" and falls to the
hearth (the bottom of the furnace
(here it then Goats on to) of the
!olten Iron.
0he onl* reason the li.uid Sla"
Goats on to) of the li.uid Iron' is
because the li.uid Sla" is less
dense.
3<
From time to time these )roducts
are drained from the furnace. 0he
li.uid Iron naturall* into a channel
and is the scoo)ed in a bed. Once
cooled' this !etal is 6no(n as Fi"
Iron.
'ets discuss what this ,i4 Iron
is used for strai4ht after it has
&een made;
0he actual Fi" Iron formed contains
4$<& Carbon and it is so hard and
brittle that it is almost im)ossible
to (or6 (ith.
0herefore to ma6e it more useful 2
thin"s can be done (ith it3
3?
1.It can be melted do(n and
then mixed (ith sla"' after
(hich it is hammered to
eliminate most of the carbon
content' of (hich ;rou"ht Iron
is created.
;rou"ht Iron is the iron that
9lac6smiths (or6s (ith to
create tools' horseshoes' etc.
;hen ;rou"ht Iron is heated it
becomes malleable therefore it is
then eas* to bend' (eld and is
eas* to (or6 (ith.
2.Fi" Iron can be used to create
Steel.
3%
Now lets discuss the Sla4
produced in the 2last %urnace,
which is 3nown as 2last
%urnace Sla4;
It is im)ortant to remember that
the main )ur)ose of this sla" is to
remo+e the Han"ue and other
im)urities.
3/
2o( letBs discus the re.uirements
for Hood Sla" and the uses for
actual Sla"
0here are 4 re.uirements for Hood
Sla" (EC@3
1. It must be Io( in Eiscosit* so
that it can Go( easil* durin" the
remo+al of im)urities
2.0he +iscosit* must 2O0 be hi"h
as this could lead to the
entra)ment of the metal in the
sla" thus causin" a loss of metal
( It can absorb some of the
meat durin" se)aration b*
bein" to stic6*
3D
3. 0he Sla" Fro)erties must be
made in such a (a* that it
allo(s for the sla" to remo+e
the "an"ue and other im)urities
4. 0he Sla" @ensit* must be
Io(er than the !etal so that it
can be se)arated easil* in the
hearth.
2o( letBs discuss the ,ses for Sla".
0here are 4 uses for Sla" ()ath'
House3
1.It can be used to build roads
2.It can be used to ma6e cement
4#
3.It can be used to ma6e
fber"lass
4.It can be used to ma6e bric6s.
$here are 6 ways the 2last
%urnace can increase in
,roductiity (outside, .
enterin4, outside);
41
1.9* increasin" the SiAe of the
furnace and im)ro+in" the
desi"n
2.9* chan"in" the Fh*sical and
Chemical com)osition of the
In)ut
3.9* in8ectin" the furnace (ith
H*drocarbons (in the form of
Hases' Ii.uids or Solids this
im)ro+ed )roducti+it* because
as a result not a lot of co6e (ill
be needed in the char"e. 1nd
as a result there (ill be more
s)ace in the shaft for more
ores.
4.9* enrichin" the blast air (ith
Fure Ox*"en (O
2
. 1s a result
42
less 2itro"en )asses throu"h
the Furnace.
0his causesN
Increase in Flame 0em)erature
in the front 0u*eres
1nd it increases the Carbon
!onoxide (CO )roduction'
(hich in turn results in the
Increase in Ore 5eduction 5ate
(ithout increasin" the Has
Flo( throu"h the Furnace.
<.9* Increasin" the
FressuriAation of the to) of the
9last Furnace (9JF' this results
in the increase of the mass
Go( rate of the "as used in the
43
furnace (ithout increasin" the
"ases +elocit*.
$here is an *lternate way to
produce Iron without usin4 a
2last %urnace, this process is
called the (irect )eduction
,rocess (());
In the @irect 5eduction Frocess
2atural Has is ,sed (instead of
!etallur"ical Co6e. 0he natural
"as is used as a fuel to )roduce
Iron.
0here are 2 reasons (h* the @irect
Frocess is )referred' these are as
follo(s3
44
1.!etallur"ical Co6e is an
7x)ensi+e Form of 7ner"*' as a
result an* countr* that has
access too Chea) 2atural Has
can )roduce Iron +ia a )rocess
(hich is much chea)er than
the 9last Furnace Frocess
(hich re.uires Co6e.
2.0he 9last Furnace is a
Froftable Frocess onl* (hen it
)roduces lar"e .uantities of
Iron. 0herefore the @irect
5eduction Frocess is chea)er
and more )roftable (hen
smaller .uantities is of Iron is
needed.
4<
0here are 3 (a*s (h* the
)roduction of Iron +ia the @irect
5eduction Frocess is bein" used in
0hird ;orld Countries3
1.0he* allo( Small Flexible ,nits
of Iron Froduction cou)led (ith
71F.
2.Scra) im)orts are eliminated
3.S)on"e Iron can be ex)orted.
4?
0he @irect 5eduction Frocedure
comes in +arious di:erent
)rocesses and the most )o)ular
)rocess is the !idrex Frocess.
$he !idre# ,rocess is
descri&ed as follows;
1 mixture of !ethane (CH
4
as (ell
as rec*cled (aste "as is reformed
b* heatin" it to 1### de"rees
Celsius in the )resence of a
catal*st (hich results in Carbon
!onoxide (CO and H*dro"en (H
2

)roduction.
4%
CH
4
C H
2
O M CO C 3 H
2
1fter (hich the )roduct "as is then
)assed into a +ertical shaft' into
(hich a mixture of Iron$Ore Fellets
and Iuub Iron Ore is fed.
0he )roduct "as enters the Shaft at
!id$)oint.
0he actual 5eduction Frocess ta6es
)lace in the ,))er Stac6 of the
Shaft at about %?# @e"rees
Celsius.
0he resultin" Iron is cooled in the
lo(er Stac6 b* rec*cled coolin"
"as.
Now lets discuss the Chemical
)eaction which occurs durin4
4/
the !idre# ,rocess, these
processes ta3es place in a
Shaft;
Firstl*' the heat re.uired to raise
the burden to its re.uired reaction
tem)erature comes from the In)ut
5eformed Has.
0herefore the 4uantit*'
Com)osition and 0em)erature of
the 5eformed !ethane (CH
4
are
+er* im)ortant and must be
controlled.
0he re.uired 5eformed Has
Com)osition is CO$ 3<&3 CO
2
$ 3&3
CH
4
$ 1&3 H
2
$ <#&3 H
2
O$ <&3 2
2
$
?&
4D
0he H*dro"en (hich is )resent in
the com)osition of the 5eformed
Has is also used as a 5educin"
1"ent to reduce Fe
2
O
3
M Fe. 0his is
a ? Ste) Frocess (1@@ H*dro"en
then add Carbon !onoxide' this
)rocess is re)eated 2 more time
(hich is clearl* dis)la*ed as
Follo(s3
1. 3Fe
2
O
3
C H
2
M 2 Fe
3
O
4
C H
2
O
2. 3Fe
2
O
3
C CO M 2 Fe
3
O
4
C CO
2
3. Fe
3
O
4
C H
2
M 3 FeO C H
2
O
4. Fe
3
O
4
C CO M 3 FeO C CO
2
<. FeO C H
2
M Fe C H
2
O
<#
?. FeO C CO M Fe C CO
2
0hese are the Chemical 5eactions
(hich ta6es )lace in the shaft and
the time that these reactions
re.uire in the reduction Aone ta6es
u) to C$ ? Hours.
0he last reaction (no. ? ta6es the
lon"est in the reduction Aone' (hile
no. 2 and no. 4 occur near the to)
and these t(o reactions occur .uite
ra)idl*.
1nother )roduct is Fe
3
C (hich is
also )roduced b* !ethane.
0here are t(o factors that increase
the Fe
3
C content3
<1
1.9* ha+in" too much methane
bein" cooled in the bed' the
Fe
3
C content (ill increase.
2.9* ha+in" too much Carbon
!onoxide (CO in the in)ut "as
(ill also )roduce an increase in
the Fe
2
C content.
$here are 6 ,arameters (%uC
$C!) which needs to &e
<2
controlled durin4 the !idre#
,rocess;
1.0he Feed !ix ((hich is Ores
and Fellets must be controlled.
2.0he In)ut Has 0 and its
com)osition must be
controlled.
3.C
4
and H
2
O in the Coolin" Has
must be controlled.
4.0he Furnace Fressure must be
controlled.
<.0he In)ut Has Flo( must be
controlled.
Stud* the !idrex 2ormal Flo( Sheet
)a"e 22/ (Stud* "uide.
<3
Now lets discuss the Hi4held
Iron !a3in4 ,rocess;
O57 F5O! !I27
<4
S0O5I2H
FO;757@
SI1H FO5 F,50H75
F5OC7SSI2H
*dditional Information
Concernin4 $he Hi4held Iron
!a3in4 ,rocess;
)aw !aterials (hich are mined is
Silica (SiO
2
' @olomite and Coal.
0he ra( material is determined b*
(hich feed stoc6 (ill be suOcient
for the 71F (the 7lectric 1rc
Furnace
$he )otatory 7iln O&8ection;
4 Ob8ecti+es3
1.0o Fre 5educe the Ore ((here
3<&$ 4<& of 5eduction ta6es
)lace.
2.0o 9urnJChar the Coal
<<
3.0o Freheat 71F feed material
(@olomite' Silica' @olomite
4.0o con+ert dolomite' (hich is a
metal to an oxide b* means of
heatin" this is called
Calcination.
Now lets discuss the
,roperties *nd 9ses Of Iron;
0he Iron is used in the 7lectric 1rc
Furnace' IetBs @escribe the
a))earance of this furnace
(Comin" in is E;' 0he ob8ect itself
E;' Comin" out C3
<?
1.0he +olta"e used b* the +essel
is C$<## E used to melt the
scra)
2.0he (ear of the materials used
is +er* im)ortant as (ell (e".
2O shar) ob8ect
3.Eessel is about ?$%m in internal
diameter
4.0he (alls of 5efractors C$
3<#mm
<.0he Ca)acit* of the +essel
)roduces C$
3<# 0ons a da*.
<%
Now lets discuss the actual
process,
a/) $hat ta3es place in the
:lectric *rc %urnace (:*%),
0he in)ut feed of the 7lectric 1rc
Furnace is scra). 0he scra) is
melted b* the basic action of
Heatin"' this is done b* usin" an
7lectric 1rc Struc6 (hich occurs
bet(een the Carbon 7lectrode and
the Steel Char"e.
1fter the scra) is melted the
5efnin" Frocess is done b* the
interaction (ith the 9asic Sla".
Since this )rocess can be a))lied
b* both the Iron 1nd Steel Industr*.
</
0hese t(o industries can be
di+ided into the Iron !a6in" and
the Steel !a6in". 0he defnitions of
the t(o )rocesses are as follo(s3
Iron !a6in"N 0his )rocess uses Iron
Oxide to )roduce Iron.
Steel !a6in"N 0his )rocess entails
the 5efnin" of Im)ure Iron to
)roduce Earious Hrades of Steel.

*nd now lets discuss the
actual chemistry inoled when
the :*% produces Iron *nd
when the :*% produces Steel;
0he ma6in" of Iron entails the
meltin" of Iron Ores' of (hich
<D
Ox*"en is remo+ed from Iron
Oxides b* the use of a Carbon
!onoxide (CO acts as a reducin"
a"ent.
First letBs discuss the ho( Carbon
!onoxide is made. 0here are 2
Sta"es to )roduce Carbon
!onoxide3
1.9* burnin" Co6e (Carbon in 1ir
to )roduce Carbon @ioxide.
C (s C O
2
M CO
2
(" C
Heat
2.Carbon @ioxide reacts (ith
Carbon to Froduce Carbon
!onoxide3
?#
CO
2
C C (s M 2 CO ("
Of (hich the Carbon !onoxide is
used to reduce the Iron Ore to Iron.
0his )rocess is 6no(n as reduction
and re.uires a 5educin" 1"ent as
(ell as Heat to carr* it Out3
Fe
2
O
3
(s C 3CO (" M 2Fe (l C
3CO
2
("
2o( letBs discuss the Chemistr*
in+ol+ed in the Steel ma6in" b*
usin" the 71F.
?1
0he chemistr* of steel ma6in" is
basicall* the remo+al of un(anted
7lements in the Iron !etal' this is
done b* ma6in" the un(anted
elements Combine (ith Ox*"en.
C (s attached to other im)urities C
O
2
(" M
CO
2
(" C Other Oxides
?2
Now lets discuss the New
inte4rated plant which
processes Iron and Steel
!a3in4/ $his is called $he
!odern !anufacturin4 ,rocess;
Iimestone' Iron and Co6e alon"
(ith air enters the 9last Furnace'
meltin" occurs and the )roducts
are )laced into molds. 1nd (hich it
is then heated (ith Iron (III Oxide.
Of (hich Fi" Iron is )roduced. 1
)ortion of the )i" iron is )rocessed
as Cast Iron' another is )rocesses
as ;rou"ht Iron and the rest is sent
to the Steel Furnace (here Carbon
Content is Controlled and Steel in
made.
?3
0he addition of !an"anese'
Chromium' 2ic6el' etc. )roduces
the fnal )roduct of Steel called
S)ecial 1llo* Steel.
0his )rocess is sho(n in the
follo(in" dia"ram3 F.0.O' Fa"e 233
1I5' Iimestone' Iron Ore' Co6e
?4
9last
Furnace
!elted P Cast in Heated (ith
Iron oxide
molds
Fi" Iron
Cast Iron
;rou"ht Iron
Steel3 (hen !a"n' Chrm' 2ic6el
added
?<
Steel Furnace
(Carbon
Content
Controlled
S)ecial 1llo*
Steel
Now lets discuss the Iron
,roducts;
Since 5a( !aterial is constantl*
bein" fed in the to)' Hot 1ir is
constantl* bein" blo(n into the
bottom and !olten Iron is
constantl* bein" ta))ed o:' this
entire )rocess is Continuous. 0his
continuous )rocess can carr* on for
2 *ears until the fre bric6 linin" of
the furnace needs to be re)laced.
@urin" this )rocess once suOcient
Iron is )roduced' the iron molten
and the sla" is ta))ed o: throu"h
se)arate holes. $hese are the
??
two products produced in Iron
ma3in4 process, sla4 and Iron
!olten/
Since the sla" is sent o: for further
)rocessin" to be used for roads'
bric6s and cement.
$he Iron produced is used to
produce " di;erent products3
1.
Some of the Iron "oes into molds to
form bars of Cast Iron (6no(n also
as =Fi" Iron>.
Some of the Fi" Iron (ill either be
used as is' (hile the other )ortion
(ill of Fi" Iron is con+erted to
?%
;rou"ht Iron this is done b* a
)rocess called Fuddlin".
Fuddlin" entails Fi" Iron to be
Fartl* melted and then stirred (to
allo( oxidation to occur so that
some of the carbon can be oxidiAed
and thus remo+ed.
0he remainin" Hot Iron formed is
then S.ueeAed (b* usin" "iant
rollers and Hammered (b* the use
of hammers this is done to s.uash
out an* remainin" carbon to the
surface' of (hich the )roduced is
no( 6no(n as Iron Scale.
(Iron Scale is the thin flm (hich
forms on the surface of (rou"ht
iron.
?/
2.
0he other )ortion of Iron is ta6en
strai"ht to the Steel Furnace Site'
(here the molten Iron is mixed
(ith Scra) Iron and is then sent to
the Steel Furnace to )roduce
+arious Hrades of Steel.
Now lets discuss Steel !a3in4;
Firstl* it is im)ortant to 6no( that
the di:erence bet(een steel and
iron is its Carbon Content' Steel
has a lo(er Carbon Content.
1ll steel is' is Iron that has most of
its Carbon and Im)urities remo+ed.
?D
One im)ortant fact about steel is
that it has a consistent
concentration of Carbon all o+er
(carbon )ercent ran"in" from
#.<&$ 1.<&. 0he reason (h* the
im)urities are remo+ed from steel
is because the im)urities namel*
Sulfur' Fhos)horous and Silica
(ea6en steel tremendousl*.
0he main di:erence bet(een Iron
and Steel is the di:erence in
Stren"th. Steel is immensel*
stron"er than Iron.
Ho(e+er Steel ma6in" com)ared to
Iron ma6in" is a +er* *oun"
industr*.
%#
Now lets discuss the 2asic
<ay to ma3e Steel;
Once Iron has been made from the
9last Furnace' the hot Iron molten
contains %& of im)urities. 0he
main im)urities are Carbon' Sulfur'
Silicon' Fhos)horous and
!an"anese.
It is im)ortant to 6no( that the
)rocess of Steel ma6in" re.uires
the reducin" or the eliminatin" of
im)urities and the controllin" of
the Carbon )ercenta"e. 1fter (hich
controlled amounts of other
elements are added to )roduce the
desired t*)e of Steel. 0here are 4
di:erent t*)es of Steel namel*3
%1
Soft' Hard' S)rin"* and S)ecial
7lectric Steel.
1s (ell as allo*s ((hich is iron is
mixed (ith metals' can be used to
ma6e S)ecial Steel 1nd Stainless
Steel.
$he ne#t . sections (eal with
the . main processes used to
ma3e Steel/ (Open Hearth
,rocess, $he :lectric *rc
,rocess *nd $he 2asic O#y4en
%urnace ,rocess)
O)en Hearth Frocess3
%2
0his )rocess entail 5a( materials'
Scra)' !olten Iron and Iimestone
are heated in a O)en Furnace and
are then ex)osed to o)en Games
)roduced from Oil or Has. @urin"
this heatin" )rocess Ox*"en is
in8ected into the furnace' this is
done to assist the oxidation
)rocess of un(anted elements.
1fter (hich these Oxides then mix
(ith the Iimestone to form a sla".
1fter (hich the sla" Goats on to) of
the molten steel and can be easil*
se)arated.
Once se)arated the Carbon content
is the molten steel is either3
%3
5educed to the re.uired
)ercenta"e or it is remo+ed almost
com)letel* and a calculated
amount is re$added.
0his )rocess is +er* slo( and is
re"arded as the slo(est )rocess
com)ared to the other 2 Steel
Frocesses.
%4
Now lets discuss the :lectric
*rc ,rocess;
0his )rocess uses Scra) !etal and
no hot metal is used unli6e other
)rocesses.
0he 1))earance Of the 7lectric 1rc
Frocess3
0he furnace consists of a circular
(ith a mo+able roof. 0hrou"h (hich
Hra)hite 7lectrode enters and this
electrode can be lo(ered into the
furnace and raised of it.
'ets discuss the actual
process3
0he Steel Scra) in lo(ered into the
furnace and the Hra)hite electrode
%<
then enters. 0he Steel Scra) is
then char"ed (ith the Hra)hite
electrode' causin" arcin" and
causes an increase in tem)erature'
(hich in turn melts the scra).
1fter (hich Iimestone and Iron
Oxide is added and combine (ith
the im)urities to form Ii.uid Sla".
Once the correct com)osition of
the steel has been achie+ed' the
furnace is then tilted to the side
such that the sla" is )oured o:'
follo(ed b* the steel.
Now lets discuss the 2asic
O#y4en %urnace (2O%) ,rocess;
%?
1t )resent this )rocess is becomin"
the !a8or !ethod used to ma6e
steel.
0he reason (h* the 9last Ox*"en
Furnace has re)laced the O)en
Hearth Furnace is because it
)roduces the same amount of
batch metal in a fraction of the
time. 0he 9asic Ox*"en Furnace
Frocess is ra)id' it is chea) and it is
easier to control.
$he *ppearance of the 2asic
O#y4en %urnace;
0he 9asic Ox*"en Furnace is a )ear
sha)ed furnace' (hich is lined (ith
refractor* bric6s. 0he 9asic Ox*"en
%%
Furnace refnes !olten Iron and
Scra) into Steel.
Now lets discuss the actual
process which ta3es place in
the 2asic O#y4en %urnace;
0he furnace is tilted so that it can
be flled (ith Scra) Iron and !olten
Iron. 1 (ater$cooled Co))er$lance
((hich is a )i)e is then lo(ered
into the furnace and Fure Ox*"en
is blo(n throu"h it. 0he )ure
Ox*"en is blo(n onto the metal
surface at Hi"h S)eed and Hi"h
Fressure. 0he Furnace rotates (hile
the Ox*"en is blo(n durin" (hich
the im)urities such as Carbon and
%/
Fhos)horous are blo(n out of the
!olten Iron as Haseous Oxides.
@urin" this blo(in" )rocess
Iimestone is added (hich
combines (ith other im)urities
formin" a Sla". 0he furnace is then
tilted a"ain to remo+e sla" and
then titled to remo+e the Iron
!olten.
Now lets discuss how the
properties as well as the uses
of Steel can &e aried;
%D
0here are 3 (a*s the )ro)erties of
steel can +ar* (C!' 07!F75I2H
12@ H15@27SS
1.9* controllin" the amount of
Carbon in the steel.
2.9* sub8ectin" the steel to Heat
0reatment in the form of
Hardenin" and 0em)erin".
Hardenin" the steel entails the
steel must be heated till it is
red hot and then cooled in Oil
or ;ater. 1nd tem)erin" the
steel entails heatin" it until the
steel loses its brittleness but
maintains its hardness.
3.9* addin" small amounts of
other metals to the steel.
/#
2o( letBs discuss the uses of
S)ecial Steel3
Since s)ecial steel contains Iron'
Carbon and certain metals (2i' Cr'
!o' ;' E' !n and Co' as a result
these s)ecial steel resist corrosion
and ha+e s)ecial )ro)erties.
0he uses of S)ecial Steel are
6ni+es' Sa(s' Scissors' !a"nets.
0here are 4 t*)es of Steel 6no(n
as C1S0 (!* defnition' Carbon
Steel' 1llo* Steel' Stainless Steel
and 0ool Steel.
/1
Now lets discuss the
:nironmental and Social
Considerations of Iron and
Steel;
0he )roduction of Iron and Steel
althou"h +ital to our (orld does
brin" (ith it certain en+ironmental
)roblems.
:nironmental Concerns;
Since Iron Ores can be found on or
near the surface' it can therefore
be remo+ed b* .uarr*in".
4uarr*in" causes se+ere
de+astation of the landsca)e and
returnin" it to an acce)table state
is a slo( )rocess.
/2
Social Consideration Such as
,ollution (*ir ,ollution, <ater
,ollution and Corrosion);
1.1ir Follution
0he !ain Sources of 1ir Follution
arises from 4 of the follo(in"3
Sulfur "ases' mostl* sulfur
dioxide (hich comes from the
combustion of fuels' as (ell as
from Iimestone and from
im)urities found durin" steel
ma6in" )rocess.
9lac6 smo6e from the coal
burnin" )lant.
/3
Hrit and dust from ash' sla" and
Iron Ore.
5eddish bro(n fumes contribute
to air )ollution. (5eddish bro(n
fumes are +er* fne )articles of
Iron Oxide (hich "ets
sus)ended in the (aste "ases
durin" oxidation )hase in the
steel ma6in" )rocess.
(Fre+ention measures bein" )ut in
)lace to )re+ent this from
ha))enin"3
Foint 1 1ttention is no( bein"
"i+en to remo+in" Sulfur from fuels
and (aste "ases before it is
released to the atmos)here. Foint
/4
2P4' smo6e and "ases are usuall*
dis)ersed throu"h tall chimne*s.
Foint 3 dust and "rit is fltered out.
2.;ater Follution
0he Steel and Iron ma6in" industr*
uses a lot of (ater and much of the
(ater is recirculated and reused.
;ater )ollution arises (hen
7Quents is )roduced and releases
into the en+ironment. (7Quents is
(aste (ater )roduced from the iron
and steel ma6in" )rocess' it can
ran"e from sli"htl* contaminated
coolin" (aters to Hi"hl* harmful
)rocess (ater.
/<
Onl* after sedimentation' chemical
and biochemical treatment can
these eQuents be released into
inland (ater(a*s' coastal (ater
and )ublic se(ers.
,reention Of <ater <aste;
0he industr* has made e:ort to
reduce (ater )ollution but the
)roblems still remains.
./) Corrosion also 3nown as
)ust;
,nfortunatel* Iron and Steel rust
a(a* (hen ex)osed to air and
(ater after a )rolon"ed )eriod of
time. 7+er* *ear a bul6 of Iron and
/?
Steel turns to rust' therefore
corrosion and corrosion )rotection
cost the industr* a lot of mone*
e+er* *ear. 0his corrosion is
harmful to the en+ironment.
Fre+ention of Corrosion3
Frotectin" Iron and Steel from
rustin" is the main form of
)re+ention.
/%