Method of direct iron-making / steel-making via gas or coal-based direct reduction and apparatus

Apparatus for producing iron or steel from iron oxide material, comprising:

• (a) means for pre-reducing iron oxide material to metallized iron material;
• (b) a moving hearth furnace, having a refractory surface;
• (c) means for introducing carbonaceous materials into said hearth furnace and placing said materials on said refractory surface;
• (d) means for charging pre-reduced metallized iron materials into said hearth furnace on said refractory surface;
• (e) means for heating and reacting said metallized iron materials in said hearth furnace, to form metallized iron product having a carbon content of 0.01-4%;
• and
• (f) means for discharging said metallized iron product from said hearth furnace.

A method for producing iron or steel, comprising the steps of:

• (a) distributing hearth conditioning material on a refractory surface of a FHM furnace, where hearth conditioning materials are comprised of carbonaceous materials;
• (b) charging pre-reduced metallized iron onto the hearth conditioning material;
• (c) heating until molten and reacting the pre-reduced metallized iron in said FHM furnace, to form nuggets having a carbon content of about 0.01 to 4% and slag;
• and
• (d) cooling and discharging solid nuggets, slag and hearth conditioning material from said FHM furnace.