Question

Ferric oxide in blast furnace is reduced by:
(a) C
(b) CO
(c) \[{{H}_{2}}\]
(d) \[C{{O}_{2}}\]

Answer 1

Hint: In the blast furnace we are able to convert the concentrated ore to the liquid metal state. The blast furnace is a gigantic and steel stack lined with the refractory brick in which concentrated iron ore is treated with other substances and a blast of hot air is blown in the bottom. Then after the crushing of the substances in it they are mixed and put on the hopper which controls the input.

Complete answer:
So the substances which have been crushed in the blast furnace with concentrated iron ore are limestone and coke. We blow the hot air from the bottom to burn the coke at the temperature of 220K. by burning the coke the process gets its required heat. At high temperature the coke tends to react with the oxygen in the hot air so that the formation of carbon monoxide. The upper part of the furnace has a temperature lower than the 220K. in this part we see the reduction of haematite and magnetite to ferrous oxide. The formation of carbon monoxide acts as a reducing agent which reacts with the ferric oxide to form the pig iron.
So the correct option is option ‘(a) C’.

Note: The purest form of the iron is wrought iron which is prepared by the cast iron. We heat the cast iron in a furnace lined with haematite. This haematite reacts with the carbon present in the cast iron so that pure iron can be obtained and the carbon monoxide gets escaped.