Process for the manufacture of crude iron and synthesis gas

A process for converting an iron oxide into crude iron which comprises:

• I. introducing in an arc furnace, a fine-grained material essentially containing iron oxide into a plasma zone between an electrode and a melt surface of a crude iron melt, and II. injecting a gaseous or volatile hydrocarbon into said crude iron melt at a depth of at least 30 cm below the surface thereof, comprising:
• a.1 preheating the iron oxide-containing material, or said iron oxide-containing material in admixture with adjusted quantities of slag formers, by means of combustion gases from burning the gases from the prereduction according to a.2 or supplementally with other fuels;
• a.2 prereducing the preheated concentrate according to a.1;
• a.3 introducing the concentrate prereduced according to a.2 in the plasma zone below the electrode in an arc furnace of a direct current type, said furnace containing a crude iron melt, the temperature of said melt, by means of adjused supply of electrical energy to the arc, is maintained over 1200.degree. C., and the content of dissolved carbon in said melt is maintained above 2% by injecting suitably preheated hydrocarbons into the crude iron melt at a depth exceeding 30 cm below the surface of the melt;
• a.4 precooling the gases leaving the arc furnace by introducing directly into the leaving gases an adjusted flow of coolant, or a mixture of natural gas and water vapor, and
• a.5 recovering a substantial part of the physical heat content of the precooled gases, and purifying from dust said precooled gases by scrubbing.