Direct reduction

In the iron and <a href="/facts/Steel/aN6qWo4H">steel industry</a>, direct reduction is a set of processes for obtaining <a href="/facts/Iron/QK1JYy8E">iron</a> from <a href="/facts/Iron_ore/rQMEvgMh">iron ore</a>, by reducing <a href="/facts/Iron_oxide/KDo8hLWn">iron oxides</a> without <a href="/facts/Melting/zhhDBo5V">melting</a> the metal. The resulting product is <a href="/facts/Direct_reduced_iron/lEnkCk7M">pre-reduced</a> iron ore.
Historically, direct reduction was used to obtain a mix of iron and slag called a bloom in a <a href="/facts/Bloomery/E2NDd6EF">bloomery</a>. At the beginning of the 20th century, this process was abandoned in favor of the <a href="/facts/Blast_furnace/DJzUB2EG">blast furnace</a>, which produces iron in two stages (reduction-melting to produce <a href="/facts/Cast_iron/lASt55k2">cast iron</a>, followed by <a href="/facts/Refining_(metallurgy)/QCXENs8m">refining</a> in a <a href="/facts/Converting_(metallurgy)/193o52gc">converter</a>).
However, various processes were developed in the course of the 20th century and, since the 1970s, the production of pre-reduced iron ore has undergone remarkable industrial development, notably with the rise of the Midrex process [Wikidata]. Designed to replace the blast furnace, these processes have so far only proved profitable in certain economic contexts, which still limits this sector to less than 5% of world <a href="/facts/Steel_production_by_country/8Mv08ykW">steel production</a>.

Direct reduction open-in-new

Direct reduction