Process for producing molten iron

A process for producing molten iron comprising:

• blowing an inert gas into a molten iron layer in an iron bath melting furnace through bottom-blown tuyeres provided in a hearth bottom thereof to stir the molten iron layer;
• charging solid reduced iron, a carbon material, and an additive flux into the melting furnace, wherein the solid reduced iron is obtained by heating reduction of carbon composite iron oxide briquettes;
• performing top blowing of an oxygen-containing gas through a top-blown lance provided for the melting furnace;
• and obtaining molten iron by melting the solid reduced iron by combustion heat generated by combusting at least one of the carbon material and carbon in molten iron,
• wherein the carbon material is charged to form a carbon material suspension slag layer in which the carbon material is suspended at an upper layer portion of a slag layer comprising slag generated when the solid reduced iron on the molten iron layer is melted into molten iron and further to form a carbon material covering layer consisting essentially of the carbon material on the carbon material suspension slag layer, and
• the molten iron and the slag accumulated in the melting furnace are discharged through a taphole provided at a lower portion of a furnace side of the melting furnace.