Provided is a solid carbon production facility including: a separation facility configured to separate a carbon dioxide gas contained in a produced gas produced by a blast furnace; a reaction facility configured to heat a fuel gas whose main component is a methane gas by using a heating facility and decompose the methane gas into solid carbon and a hydrogen gas; and a production facility configured to cause the carbon dioxide gas separated by the separation facility and the hydrogen gas decomposed by the reaction facility to react with each other to produce solid carbon and water.

Provided is a solid carbon production facility including: a separation facility configured to separate a carbon dioxide gas contained in a produced gas produced by a blast furnace; a reaction facility configured to heat a fuel gas whose main component is a methane gas by using a heating facility and decompose the methane gas into solid carbon and a hydrogen gas; and a production facility configured to cause the carbon dioxide gas separated by the separation facility and the hydrogen gas decomposed by the reaction facility to react with each other to produce solid carbon and water.

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for regenerating and recirculating a CO, H.sub.2 or combinations thereof utilized for metal oxide reduction in a reduction furnace. The reduction furnace receives the reducing agent, reduces the metal oxide, and generates an exhaust of the oxidized product. The oxidized product is transferred to a mixing vessel, where the oxidized product, a calcium oxide, and a vanadium oxide interact to regenerate the reducing agent from the oxidized product. The regenerated reducing agent is transferred back to the reduction furnace for continued metal oxide reductions.

A process for the production of sponge iron and a system for the production of sponge iron. The process includes the steps of: producing electrolytic hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis of water; producing methanol by reacting the electrolytic hydrogen with carbon dioxide; storing the methanol; reforming the methanol using water and/or oxygen to provide carbon dioxide and released hydrogen; providing the released hydrogen as a component portion of a reducing gas to a direct reduction shaft; and reducing iron ore in the direct reduction shaft using the reducing gas to produce the sponge iron.

Provided is a steelmaking line contributing to the realization of a method that achieves energy saving and CO.sub.2 emission reduction when producing reduced iron from iron oxide. The steelmaking line comprises: a blast furnace configured to reduce iron oxide; a reducing furnace configured to reduce iron oxide; a methane synthesizer configured to synthesize methane from blast furnace gas and/or furnace top gas, and hydrogen gas; a blower configured to blow the methane gas synthesized by the methane synthesizer into the blast furnace; a heat-reformer configured to heat or heat-reform the blast furnace gas and/or the furnace top gas, and the methane gas synthesized by the methane synthesizer, to generate reducing gas; a reducing gas blower configured to blow the reducing gas into the reducing furnace; and a supply path configured to supply the furnace top gas to the methane synthesizer and/or the heat-reformer.

Provided is a steelmaking line contributing to the realization of a method that achieves energy saving and CO.sub.2 emission reduction when producing reduced iron from iron oxide. The steelmaking line comprises: a blast furnace configured to reduce iron oxide; a reducing furnace configured to reduce iron oxide; a methane synthesizer configured to synthesize methane from blast furnace gas and/or furnace top gas, and hydrogen gas; a blower configured to blow the methane gas synthesized by the methane synthesizer into the blast furnace; a heat-reformer configured to heat or heat-reform the blast furnace gas and/or the furnace top gas, and the methane gas synthesized by the methane synthesizer, to generate reducing gas; a reducing gas blower configured to blow the reducing gas into the reducing furnace; and a supply path configured to supply the furnace top gas to the methane synthesizer and/or the heat-reformer.

Systems for producing iron may include (a) a reactor configured to receive iron ore and a reducing gas, and from these produce iron; and (b) a carbon dioxide reduction electrolyzer configured to produce at least carbon monoxide and/or a hydrocarbon. Such systems may be configured to transport carbon dioxide produced by the reactor and/or produced by combustion of a gas generated by the reactor to a cathode side of the carbon dioxide reduction electrolyzer. Such systems may be further configured to transport at least a portion of the carbon monoxide and/or hydrocarbon produced by the carbon dioxide reduction electrolyzer to the reactor, where the carbon monoxide and/or hydrocarbon serves as at least a part of the reducing gas.

A gas scrubber cone condition monitoring system has a sealed gas scrubber cone (9) moveably mounted in a gas pipe (1), a collar (5) fixedly mounted radially outward of the cone in the gas pipe and a pressure tap (12) into the sealed cone. The pressure tap is coupled to a condition monitor (17,18) via an input line (16). An output line (14) from the condition monitor is coupled to a gas pipe (15), downstream of the sealed cone. The condition monitor includes at least one of a pressure gauge and a gas flow meter.

The invention relates to a blast furnace plant (1, 1a-1c) with a blast furnace (2) and a charging device (3) for the blast furnace (2). In order to provide an economical way of providing clean gas to the charging device, the invention provides that the blast furnace plant (1, 1a-1c) further comprises: at least one nozzle (6) for introducing a clean gas into said charging device (3); a cleaning device (7) which is connected for receiving gas from the blast furnace (2) and arranged for removing dust from the gas; at least one compressor (9) arranged for receiving gas from the cleaning device (7), compressing the gas and feeding the gas to the at least one nozzle (6); and at least one turbine (8) connected for receiving and being driven by gas from the blast furnace (2), the at least one turbine being mechanically coupled to drive the at least one compressor (9).

Provision of a gas production apparatus that can stably produce a product gas with carbon monoxide as its main component from a separated gas including carbon dioxide as a main component.

The gas production apparatus 1 consists of the following: a separation and capture section 5, which separates and captures separated gas containing mainly of carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas taken from the line of the exhaust gas equipment; a reaction section 4 including at least a reactor, which is connected to downstream of the separation and capture section 5, contains a reducing agent that generates carbon monoxide through a reduction reaction of carbon dioxide brought into contact with the separated gas, and is capable of separating at least some of oxygen atoms separated from carbon dioxide; a pressure regulating section 7 connected to downstream of the reactor 4 to regulate the pressure of the separated gas supplied to the reactor; and the flow regulating section 6 connected on the upstream of the separation and capture section 5 and regulates the flow rate of the separated gas supplied to the reactor.