PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF IRON CARBIDE

A process for converting iron oxide to iron carbide at low pressure includes the steps (a) providing a reformingreduction-carburizing reactor operating at a pressure of between about 1.15 to about 1.45 bars and having a bed of partially metallized iron oxide material, a bed of direct reduced iron and a bed of iron carbide within said reactor, (b) feeding metal oxide material containing iron to said reactor, (c) recycling top gas from said reactor so as to provide a feed gas having a methane content of at least about 8.5% by volume, (d) heating said feed gas to a temperature of between about 650.degree.C to about 850.degree.C, (e) mixing air at a temperature of between about 650.degree.C to about 850.degree.C with said heated feed gas in a mixing chamber, (f) partially combusting said mixture of air and feed gas to a temperature greater than about 850.degree.C wherein said partially combusted gas mixture has a degree of oxidation of between about 0.27 to about 0.32 and a reducing power of between about 2 to about 3, (g) feeding said partially combusted gas mixture to said direct reduced iron in said reactor so as to form a reformed reducing gas having an oxidation degree of between about 0.05 to about 0.09, (h) contacting said iron oxide material with said reformed reducing gas so as to form direct reduced iron, and (i) contacting said direct reduced iron with a carburizing agent in said reactor at a temperature of between about 550.degree.C to about 750.degree.C so as to form iron carbide having between about 4.0% wt to about 5.5% wt carbon and at least about 80% wt iron.