Extractive Metallurgy Of

Iron
IRON
Iron is a glossy, ductile, malleable, silver-gray metal (group VIII of the
periodic table).
Raw Materials
Iron ores (magnetite, hematite) – iron oxides with earth impurities;
Coke, which is both reducing agent and fuel, providing heat for melting the
metal and slag.
Coke is produced from coking coals by heating them away from air.
Limestone – calcium silicate fluxes, forming a fluid slag for removal gangue
from the ore.
hematite magnetite limestone
Fuel
Coke is the fuel used to melt the ore and also to reduce the iron ore to
metallic iron. Coke is produced at the bottom of the blast furnace by
carbonization of coal i.e. burning of coal in the absence of oxygen to
remove volatile matter. Good quality coke has about 80% carbon and 20%
ash. It is hard to prevent the formation of CO and its high porosity
provides large surface area for the chemical reactions. It is consumed at
the rate of one ton per ton of pig iron.
In extraction metallurgy of iron from
hematite involving in the following process:
1. Concentration of the ore
2 . Calcination
3. Smelting

Fe2O3 + 3CO  2Fe + 3CO2

Reactions of the blast furnace
The temperature of the blast furnace progressively
rises up from top to bottom. The following reactions
take place at different zones:

Fe2O3 + 3CO  2Fe + 3CO2

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14gRKWdATLw&t=78s
Uses of Iron
Iron is used in the forms shown below as material
of construction for machines, plants, buildings,
locomotives, ships, automobiles, railway lines and
for many other things. All these forms are
obtained from pig iron which is first obtained from
the iron ore.
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