Smelting of iron ore in a blast furnace involves the formation of a molten mixture known as:
Cast iron
Pig iron
Wrought iron
Steel
Smelting of iron ore in a blast furnace involves a process called reduction, where iron ore (mainly iron oxide, ) is heated along with coke (carbon) and limestone in a blast furnace. The purpose of this process is to extract iron from the ore.
During the smelting process, the iron ore is reduced to molten iron, which forms a mixture known as pig iron. Pig iron is the intermediate product of the smelting process and contains a high carbon content (typically around 3-4%), along with other impurities such as silicon, manganese, and sulfur.
Pig iron is named so because it used to be cast into molds called pigs for transportation and further processing. It is a brittle and relatively low-quality form of iron, and further refinement processes are required to produce higher-quality iron and steel products.