Method for producing liquid pig iron from a DRI product

A method for producing liquid pig iron, comprising:

• i) providing a directly reduced iron product (1) with an iron content of at least 75.0 wt. %, a carbon content of at least 0.10 wt. %, and a content of acidic and basic slag components of max. 15.0 wt. %, the acidic and basic slag components comprising CaO, MgO, SiO2, and Al2O3;
• ii) supplying the directly reduced iron product (1) and slag formers (2) into an electrically operated smelting unit (3);
• iii) supplying further iron and/or carbon components (5) in an amount up to 30 wt. % relative to the directly reduced iron product into the electrically operated smelting (3) unit, the further iron and/or carbon components (5) being selected from the group consisting of cold pig iron, charge coal, and steel scrap;
• iv smelting the directly reduced iron product (1) and the further iron and/or carbon components (5) in presence of the slag formers (2), so that a liquid pig iron phase (6) and a liquid slag phase (7) are formed;
• v) optimizing the liquid slag phase (7) for industrial use by adjusting the slag phase (7) such that it has a basicity of (CaO+MgO/SiO2) from 1.0 to 1.25 and controlling at least one of slag viscosity and tapping temperature so that, upon granulation, the slag exhibits a vitreous solidification fraction of at least 90 wt. % and a composition comprising 30.0-50.0 wt. % SiO2, 25.0-50.0 wt. % CaO, 5.0-15.0 wt. % Al2O3, and 2.0-15.0 wt. % MgO, with unavoidable impurities including Fe, MnO2 and/or S;
• vi) tapping the liquid pig iron phase (6);
• and
• vii) tapping and granulating the slag phase (7).