Method for the reduction of a slag having a high degree of chromium in an electric arc furnace

A method for the reduction of a high chromium-content slag (7) on a steel melt (6) during the production of stainless steel in an electric-arc furnace (1), according to which method press-molded bodies such as pellets or briquettes (8), the constituents of which react with the metal oxides of the slag (7) with a reducing action, are charged additionally into the slag (7), where the pellets or briquettes (8) charged into the electric-arc furnace (1) consist of a defined mixture of a ballast material, carbon or carbon plus silicon as reducing agent, and a binder, and where the pellets or briquettes (8) float in the melt near the melt/slag boundary so as not to be submerged and react chemically under the slag layer with the metal oxides of slag (7), especially with a chromium oxide present therein, with a reducing action, where the resulting reaction gases (16) support the foaming of the slag, wherein the ballast material is comprised primarily of the elements iron and chromium which form the stainless steel, and in that fine, low-alloy scrap with a density of approximately 7 ton/m3, finely shredded, provides the iron for the ballast material.