Four students describe what happens to the carbon in the coke inside a blast furnace. Hot air is blown in and the carbon first burns. Which equation correct...
Question 1 Report
Four students describe what happens to the carbon in the coke inside a blast furnace. Hot air is blown in and the carbon first burns. Which equation correctly shows how carbon monoxide, the main reducing agent, is finally produced in the furnace?
Answer Details
Two carbon reactions happen in sequence near the base of the furnace. First the coke burns in the hot air blast, C + O2 → CO2, which releases the heat that raises the temperature to about 1500 ℃. That step makes carbon dioxide, not the reducing agent.
The carbon dioxide then rises through the white-hot coke and is itself reduced: CO2 + C → 2CO. This is the step that finally produces carbon monoxide, which goes on to reduce the ore, Fe2O3 + 3CO → 2Fe + 3CO2.
Combustion alone is the common wrong choice because it involves carbon and air. The equation with 2O2 giving 2CO does not balance oxygen, and 2CO → C + CO2 destroys the reducing agent.
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