staalmaakmethode

Staalmaakmethode refers to the process of producing steel from iron. Historically, this involved several methods, but modern steelmaking primarily relies on two main processes: the basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS) process and the electric arc furnace (EAF) process.

The BOS process, also known as the oxygen steelmaking process, starts with molten pig iron from a blast furnace. This molten iron is poured into a large, refractory-lined vessel called a converter. High-purity oxygen is then blown onto the surface of the molten metal. This oxygen reacts with impurities such as carbon, silicon, manganese, and phosphorus, oxidizing them. These oxidized impurities form slag, which is then removed. Alloying elements can be added during the process to achieve desired steel properties. The BOS process is highly efficient and is used for large-scale production of steel from iron ore.

The EAF process uses electricity to melt scrap steel and, in some cases, direct reduced iron (DRI) or hot briquetted iron (HBI). Large graphite electrodes are lowered into the furnace, and an electric arc is created between the electrodes and the metal charge. This arc generates intense heat, melting the material. Similar to the BOS process, oxygen is often injected to help remove impurities, and alloying elements are added to tailor the steel's composition. The EAF process is more flexible and is often used for producing specialty steels and for recycling steel scrap. Both methods ultimately aim to remove excess carbon and other impurities from the iron and introduce specific alloying elements to create steel with desired mechanical and physical properties.