The invention relates to a method for operating a steelworks, for example in a blast furnace converter route, or with a direct reduction of iron ore with hydrogen with downstream electrical steel route, preferably additionally a secondary steel route. To carry out the method, the following are balanced: A) a number of starting material flows of supplied starting materials, B) a number of by-product material flows from emitted by-products, and C) a number of energy flows of used energy.

A process for processing metal ore includes: reducing a metal ore, particularly a metallic oxide, in a blast furnace shaft; producing furnace gas containing CO.sub.2, in the blast furnace shaft; discharging the furnace gas from the blast furnace shaft; directing at least a portion of the furnace gas directly or indirectly into a CO.sub.2-converter; and converting the CO.sub.2 contained in the furnace gas into an aerosol consisting of a carrier gas and C-particles in the CO.sub.2-converter in the presence of a stoichiometric surplus of C; directing at least a first portion of the aerosol from the CO.sub.2-converter into the blast furnace shaft; and introducing H.sub.2O into the blast furnace shaft. By virtue of the reaction C+H.sub.2O.fwdarw.CO.sub.2+2H, nascent hydrogen is produced in the blast furnace which causes rapid reduction of the metal ore. The speed of reduction of the metal ore is thus increased, and it is possible to increase either the throughput capacity of the blast furnace or to reduce the size of the blast furnace. An aerosol in the form of a fluid is easily introducible into the blast furnace shaft.

An arrangement and process for charging iron ore to a direct reduction shaft, as well as an arrangement and process for discharging sponge iron from a direct reduction shaft. The processes each include the steps of evacuating gas from a vessel by application of vacuum followed by refilling the vessel with a process gas from the direct reduction shaft. Also provided is a system for the production of sponge iron including such an arrangement for charging iron ore and/or discharging sponge iron. Further provided is a process for direct reduction of iron ore, wherein the process includes introducing a process gas from direct reduction to a direct reduction shaft in conjunction with charging iron ore and/or in discharging sponge iron.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for iron production as well as apparatuses useful in such systems and methods. Metallic iron is produced in a DRI furnace into which is introduced raw iron (iron oxides) and a syngas. The syngas is formed using a first processing unit, such as a CO.sub.2 convective reformer (CCR), and optionally a second processing unit, such as an oxygen secondary reformer (OSR), to react a hydrocarbon with a reformant to form syngas with substantially complete carbon capture. Top gas from the DRI furnace may be used in a combustor as a fuel to form a heated exhaust stream that is used to provide reaction heating to the first processing unit, and the exhaust stream received from the first processing unit may be further processed so that at least a portion of the exhaust stream may be recycled to the combustor.

A process for producing solid carbon and gaseous oxygen from CO.sub.2 via electrolysis using an electrolysis apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a chamber with an electrolyte inlet, an electrolyte outlet, a liquid electrolyte containing CO.sub.2 in the chamber, at least one cathode-anode pair, with the cathode including a liquid metal capable of catalysing reduction of CO.sub.2 to solid carbon at a selected operating temperature of the process. The process includes causing the electrolyte to flow from the inlet to the outlet in fluid communication with the cathode-anode pair, applying a voltage between the cathode-anode pair and causing solid carbon to form on the cathode from CO.sub.2 in the electrolyte and gaseous oxygen to be evolved at the anode from CO.sub.2 in the electrolyte.

A gas production apparatus includes: a separator configured to separate and capture a separated gas including carbon dioxide as a main component from an exhaust gas of exhaust gas equipment; reactors which are downstream of the separator, each of the reactors: (i) containing a reductant configured to contact the separated gas to produce carbon monoxide through a reduction reaction of carbon dioxide; (ii) being configured to separate at least some oxygen atoms split off from carbon dioxide in the reduction reaction; and (iii) having a reducing agent containing a metal oxide configured to reduce carbon dioxide as the reductant; a reducer configured to supply a reducing gas containing a reducing substance configured to reduce the reducing agent oxidized by contact with carbon dioxide; a pressure regulator configured to regulate a pressure of the separated gas; and a flow regulator configured to regulate a flow rate of the separated gas.