The Fundamental Aspects of Iron Ore Reduction

Abstract

Iron ore reduction is the conversion of iron oxide minerals to metallic iron. The chemical reactions inv-olved take place in the blast furnace during the prod-uction of hot metal or in the several proposed solid- state processes that produce sponge iron. Because there are three oxides of iron, hematite magnetite and wustite and because both carbon and hydrogen are used as reducing agents, the fundamental aspects of the reduction process are rather complex. It is therefore important that these fundamentals be throughly understood in the development of a new process if sucess is to be achieved.