Why is Iron Ore important?
Iron ore (there are three main types: haematite (iron oxide Fe2O3), magnetite (iron oxide Fe3O4) and limonite (Iron hydroxide). Iron ore is placed in a blast furnace with coke (carbon), in which the oxygen is converted to carbon dioxide, andf the molten iron can be drawn off from the bottom. The impure iron (‘pig iron’) is then used to produce varoius steel products for use in construction of steel-framed buildings, shipbuilding, car manufacture, machinery manufacture and many other purposes. there is hardly a moment in your life when you are not in touch with something made of or built with steel. (eg, even your cutlery will be made of stainles steel; an alloy of iron and chromium). Steel making was an important advance in the industrial revolution.
