0

Table of Content
SUBJECT
1.0

PAGE
2

Introduction
1.1

3
Extraction of iron from iron ore

1.1.1

6
The function of the calcium carbonate and
formation of slag and cast iron

1.1.2
1.1.3

Conversion Iron to Steel

The Basic Oxygen Steel making (BOS) Process

1.1.4

7
7
8

The uses and composition of steel

1.2.0

10
Electroplating to produce good finishing cutlery

1.2.1

Working of electroplating.

1.2.2

10
10

Electroplating with silver

2.0

13
Production of residues from industry

3.0

16
Actions shall taken by Government to Reduce the
Environmental Effects of Iron Industry

4.0

17
Ways to educate Children in School

5.0

18
Conclusion

1.0

INTRODUCTION

The manufacturing of iron by humans began most likely at some point after 2000 BCE in
south-west or south-central Asia. Thus began the Iron Age, when iron replaced bronze in
implements and weapons. This shift occurred because iron, when alloyed with a bit of
carbon becomes harder. It was replaced by steel after CE 1870, iron functioned as the
material basis of people in the world.
Iron is the fourth most abundant element and makes up more than five percent of the
earths crust. Iron founds naturally in iron ore. Since iron has a robust affinity for
oxygen, iron ore is an oxide of iron; it also consists varying quantities of other elements
such as silicon, sulfur, manganese, and phosphorus. Smelting is the process by which iron
is extracted from iron ore. When iron ore is heated in a charcoal fire, the iron ore begins
to release some of its oxygen, which bonds with carbon monoxide to form carbon
dioxide. In this manner, a mass of relatively pure iron is formed, amalgamated with bits
of charcoal and minor matter liberated from the ore, known as slag. The formation of this
bloom of iron will be removed from the furnace and hammered to drive out the residues
and slag and to compact the metallic particles. This was wrought iron and contained
generally from 0.02 to 0.08 percent of carbon, in order to make the metal both tough and
malleable. Wrought iron was was also knows as steel, the most commonly produced
metal through most of the Iron Age until today. Nowadays, steels are widely used as tools
especially in cutleries. Different composition of steel due to addition of various elements
different resulting in diverse strength and usage.For example, steel consists of nickel also
known as stainless steel. Steels are used commercially and generate billions of dollars
annually.

1.1

Extraction of iron from iron ore

Iron is extracted from its oxide

Principle used: Reduction of iron from its oxides by carbon also known as carbon
reduction
Processes involved in extraction:
1.

Concentrating the ores

2.

Calcination of ores

3.

Reduction of ore is taken place in blast furnace.

The common iron ores are haematite, Iron ( III) oxide, Fe2O3 and magnetite, Triiron
tetroxide, Fe3O4. Iron is located below than carbon in reactivity series, therefore iron can
be reduced by carbon. The carbon used is in the form of coke. Coke is formed by heating
coal in the absence of air. Carbon is also chosen as it is economically and exist abundant
in earths crust. Apart of being more reactive than iron, carbon produced carbon dioxide
is safe to release directly into the air. The extraction process take place in large and hot
furnace named blast furnace. Its temperature can reach up to 2000C. Figure 1.0 indicates
the extraction of iron in a blast furnace. A small charge is introduced from the top of the
blast furnace at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes. The charge is a mixture of concentrated
iron ores, coke and limestone.

The following flow chart outlines the reduction of iron ores in the blast furnace.
Blast of tremendously of hot air pumped through the furnace via the bottom.
The oxygen in the hot air reacts with coke to form carbon dioxide.This is an
exothermic reaction.
Chemical equation: C (s) + O2 (g)

CO2 (g)

Excess carbon reacts with carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide which is
the main reducing agent in the furnace.
Chemical Equation:
C (s) + CO2 (g)

2CO (g)

Carbon monoxide and carbon reduce the iron oxides to iron.

Chemical Equations:
Fe2O3 (s) + 3CO (g)

2Fe (s) + 3CO2 (g)

2Fe2O3 (s) + 3C (g)

4Fe (s) + 3CO2 (g)

Fe3O4 (s) + 4CO (g)

3Fe (s) + 4CO2 (g)

Fe3O4 (s) + 2C (g)

3Fe (s) + 2CO2 (g)

The temperature of the furnace is very high sufficient to melt the iron which trickles
Figure
down
to 1the bottom where it can be tapped off.

Figure 1: Blast furnace of extraction of iron.

The reason of considering carbon reduction over other electropositive metals are due to:
The cost of reactive metal: more electropositive metals such as sodium will be very
easy to reduce iron from its iron oxide but its very expensive.
The energy cost
The purity of desired metal
Various environmental considerations as well as managing overall costs.

1.1.1

The function of the calcium carbonate and formation of slag and cast iron

Iron ore contains an assortment of rocky substantial. This would not melt at the
temperature of the furnace, and would ultimately clog it up. The calcium carbonate
(limestone) is added to convert this into slag which melts and runs to the bottom.
The heat of the furnace decomposes the calcium carbonate to give calcium oxide.
CaCO3

CaO + CO2

This is an endothermic reaction, absorbing heat from the furnace. Therefore it is

paramount not to add too much limestone because it would else cool the furnace.

Calcium oxide is a basic oxide and reacts with acidic oxides such as silicon dioxide
existing in the rock. Calcium oxide reacts with silicon dioxide to give calcium silicate.
CaO + SiO2

CaSiO3

The calcium silicate fluxes and runs down through the furnace to form a layer on top of
the molten iron. It can be tapped off from time to time as slag. Slag contains contains
other impurities such as MgO, CaO, SiO2and Al2O3. Slag is the useful by-product and
usually used in road making and cement production.

The molten iron from the bottom of the furnace can be used as cast iron. Cast iron is very
runny when it is molten and doesn't reduce much when it solidifies. It is hence perfect for
making castings. Nevertheless, it is very impure, containing about 4% of carbon. Cast
iron is used for manhole covers, guttering and drainpipes, Aga-type cookers, and very
expensive and very heavy cookware.
1.1.2

Conversion Iron to Steel

1.1.3

The Basic Oxygen Steel making (BOS) Process

Around 300 tonnes of steel can be made in one forty minute batch by this process. The
iron made from the blast furnace is transported to the BOS vessel where it is mixed with
controlled quantities of scrap steel. A water-cooled oxygen lance is lowered into the
furnace giving a blast of high purity oxygen (blasted at twice the speed of sound). The
blast of oxygen removes some of the impurities:
1.

2C (s) + O2(g) 2CO(g)

2.

Si(s) + O2(g) SiO2(s)

3.

2Mn(s) + O2(g) 2MnO(s)

4.

4P(s) + 5O2(g) P2O5(g)

8

The products from the above reactions are removed either in liquid state in the slag, or
gaseous state at the top. Addition of other elements such as manganese, carbon, nickel,
chromium, molybdenum, cobalt and tungsten has adjusted the composition of the steel.
The product of the BOS is molten steel with a specified chemical analysis at 2900F3000F. From here it may undergo further refining in a secondary refining process or be
sent directly to the continuous caster where it is solidified into semifinished shapes:
blooms, billets, or slabs.

1.1.4

The Uses and Composition of Steels

The amount of carbon in steel ranges from 0.1% to 1.5% giving steel different properties.
Steel composed of less than 0.25% carbon is called mild steel. Mild steel is cheap, strong
and easily shaped, and as so is the main metal for construction (used to make bridges,
buildings, ships and vehicles. Steels with more than 0.5% carbon are stronger than mild
steel; however the steel is more brittle, and so is used to make tools. Desirable properties
of steel can also be attained by alloying it with other metals.
Alloy
Manganese Steel

Composition
84% Fe, 15% Mn, 1% C

Uses
Railway points and

Stainless Steel

80% Fe, 15% Cr, 4% Ni.

dredging equipments
Cookware, cutlery and in

Titanium Steel

1% C
0.5-2 % Ti, varying

industrial chemical plants.

Used for aircraft's and

amounts of other metals

armour plating.

such as Cr, Ni, V.

Table 1: Alloys of different steels and uses of them.

10

Diagram 1: Basic Oxygen Steel processes summary. Source: www.steel.org

1.2.0

Electroplating to produce good finishing cutlery

The consideration of electroplating to be apart of industrial developments after Adam, in

1868 found a way to improve the electroplating methods. Cutleries are made using the
pure metal before electroplating was introduced. Usage of pure metal requires a large
amount of those metals. For example, a 12-part silver plated set requires only about 70
90 grams of silver, while the solid version requires several kilograms. . Electroplating
allows us to use the best qualities of different metals and make them work together in the
best. Surprisingly, the pure silver and silver used for electroplated have the same
antibacterial effects. Therefore, the earth resources can be used in limited amount and aid
in saving the future of earth. Electrolysis is used to electroplate objects. Electrolysis as it
is named, electro-lysis define as a process of breaking down chemical compound to its
constituent elements. It is a process where electrical energy is converted to chemical
energy. This is useful for coating a cheaper metal with a more expensive one, such as
copper or silver.
1.2.1

Working of electroplating.

The negative electrode should be the object that is to be electroplated

The positive electrode should be the metal that you want to coat the object with

The electrolyte should be a solution of the coating metal, such as its metal nitrate

or sulfate.
1.2.2

Electroplating with silver

The object to be plated, such as a metal spoon, is connected to the negative terminal of
the power supply. A piece of silver is connected to the positive terminal. The electrolyte is
silver nitrate solution. During the electrolysis using silver as the anode and iron spoon as
cathode, the silver anode dissolve to form silver ions.
Ag (s)

Ag2+(aq) + e11

At the cathode, silver metal is deposited on the surface of the iron spoon.
Ag2+(aq) + e-

Ag(s)

Electroplating of the iron spoon occurs.

The conditions that compulsory to satisfy good quality plating are as follows:
a.

The metal object must be clean and free from grease.

b.

The plating metal ions concentrations must be low.

c.

The electric current must be small.

d.

The object to be plated must be turned readily.

Preparation for plating is alike to that recommended for low-carbon steels, except that an
electrolytic etch is suggested; it is sometimes preceded by an acid dip and anodic electro
clean (to remove smuts),with intermediate rinses. These steels should be heat treated as
soon as possible after electroplating in order to relieve hydrogen embrittlement.

12

13

14

Figure 2: Electroplating of silver shown in a simple electrolysis process.

2.0

Production residues from iron industry

Production residue: A collective term for by-products, material for internal circulation,
recycling and waste in this particulars is residual products or residual material. This term
is merely one way of summarizing everything that emerges over and above the
production of steel.
Waste: substance or object that the holder discards of or intends to discard of or is liable
to discard of.
By-product: A substance or object that arises through a production process the main
object of which is not its production may only be regarded as a by-product instead of
waste if the following conditions are met:

It shall be guaranteed that the substance or object will continue to be used.

The substance or object shall be able to be used directly without any further
processing other than normal industrial usage.
15

 The substance or object is produced as an integral part of a production process.

Continued use shall be lawful, i.e. the substance or object shall fulfill all relevant
product, environmental and health protection standards for the specific use and not
lead to generally negative consequences for the environment or for human health.
Slag, the limestone and iron ore impurities collected at the top of the molten iron, make
up the largest portion of iron making by-products. Sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide
are volatized and captured in air emissions control equipment and the residual slag is sold
to the construction industry. While this is not a pollution prevention technique, the solid
waste does not reach landfills. Blast furnace flue gas is also generated during iron
making. This gas is cleaned to remove particulates and other compounds, allowing it to
be reused as heat for coke furnaces or other processes. Cleaning gas for reuse can
produce some air pollution control dust and water treatment plant sludge, depending on
the method used. The dust can be reused in sintering processes or landfilled.

Slag is a major component of the waste produced in blast of furnace. Because of its
composition, this slag, unlike that from the blast furnace, is best used as an additive in the
sintering process. As its metallic content is lower, it does not make a good raw material
for the construction industry. Hot gases are also produced by the blast of furnace.
Pollutants
Carbon dioxide

Pollutions
Air

Explanation
Carbon dioxide is released
to the air can increase the
surrounding temperature,

Sulfur compounds

Air

results in global warming.

Hydrogen sulphide can
cause acid rain which is

Coke oven gas

Air

corrosive.
The dust particles can cause
haze and reduce our visual
distance.
16

Coke breezes

Water

Run-off water carries the

compound poisoned the
aquatic lives and lead to

Suspended solid

Water

eutrophication.
Aquatic lives dead and
contaminate the water
source

17

Mining and crushing of

Noise

Exceed of 80dB of noise

rocks

Landscape destruction

can cause damage to

hearing.
Destruction of landscape
leaving the earth prone to
landslides, soil erosion and

Hexavalent Chromium

Health hazard

flash flood
Can cause cancer due to

(carcinogenic group A)
Ammonium nitrate

Water

radical particles.
Aquatic lives dead and lead

Health hazard

to eutrophication
Cause damage to internal

Lead, arsenic

organs especially liver

when it is consumed.
Table 2: Classification of waste into different pollution types and brief explanations.

18

3.0

Actions shall taken by Government to Reduce the Environmental Effects of Iron

Industry
Industry and its products have an impact on the natural resource base of civilization
through the entire cycle of raw materials exploration and extraction, transformation into
products, energy consumption, waste generation, and the use and disposal of products by
consumers. These impacts may be positive, enhancing the quality of a resource or
extending its uses. Or they may be negative, as a result of process and product pollution
and of depletion or degradation of resources. Therefore , the government and local
authorities are responsible to establish a goal as benchmarks on improving consequences
of iron industry. The government needs to provide information center delivering every
single details from community to international level. Iron industries are jeopardizing the
mother nature as well as the dwellers. Starting from the mining processes to the end of
products consumptions, problems arise are shall be solved . Guidelines and codes of
conduct are supposed to be updated regularly inspected to covering safety of products
and plant operations, trade practices, technology transfer, and international cooperation.
In the light of this and the growth trends projected through the next century, it is evident
that measures to reduce, control, and prevent industrial pollution will need to be greatly
strengthened. New combustion techniques simultaneously raise combustion efficiency
and reduce pollutant emissions shall be enforced by the government. In future, a growing
market for pollution control systems, equipment, and services is expected in practically
all nationwide. In nutshell, the government is not the sole party to reduce the effects but
as well as the enterprises and public. Every level of society shall cooperate in order to

19

make the world especially Malaysia as developed country yet maintaining resources to
the maximum.
4.0

Ways to Educate the Children in School

Children are synonym to fun and joy. Learning on the other hand can be very stressful to
them. In order to make them understand the basis of iron industry, the benefits and
disadvantages. Scientific explanations will be helpful. Experiments are designed and
conducted in classrooms to introduce the iron, uses of irons and harmful effects of iron
industries. The objectives are to ensure the understanding of the lesson mentioned
previously and creating awareness among them. One of the activities are collecting the
iron scraps and recycle them into useful products. For example, metal sculptures and
metal yard where the students will be gaining knowledge on metals especially irons. As
for school level, exhibition and awareness campaign participated by every persons in the
school. This activity is also involving the major steel companies in Malaysia to provide
talks and hands-on programme for children. List of activities and descriptions are shown
below:
Bon Voyage to Bad Dumping Habits: Activity to elaborate the bad habit of dumping
irons and reducing it by means of recycling.
Exploding Colours: Colouring pages for kids on iron industries.
Mr. Iron and team: A team of children lead by science teacher exploring iron
industries.

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5.0

CONCLUSION

Cutleries are produced to fulfill the demand of people, they are extensively used in
restaurants, hotels, and apart of households items. Irons are extracted from the oxides,
they are converted to steel by basic oxygen steel making and electroplated. The effects of
iron industries can be devastating although the benefits are numerous. However, under
the preventative measures and regulations of controlling the harmful effects of iron
industries, the economical of iron industry can be increased. Irrefutably, collaboration of
every level of society will be very important to make this a success. Children are
educated on scientific knowledge of metals especially iron. As a conclusion the
knowledge of science is crucial to develop a nation with proper understanding of science
and good ethics.

TOTAL WORDS: 3000

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ATTACHMENT

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Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in Waste Samples from Iron Production,
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2.

S.R. Panda and Anil Barik (2010). Journal, Impact of Iron Mines Generated
Pollutants on Peripheral Environment and its Effective Management, Proceedings of
the XI International Seminar on Mineral Processing Technology.

3.

Noorddin.I (1999). Journal, Natural Activities of U, Th and K in building materials,

J. Environ.Radioact 43: 255-258.

4.

(1970-86). Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry, data compiled

annually for the Industrial Structural Council, Tokyo..

5.

Paris (1984). OECD, 'The Impact of Environmental Measures on the Rate of

Economic Growth, Rate of Inflation, Productivity and International Trade',
Background Papers Prepared for the International Conference on Environment and
Economics, Vol. I.

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