SCRAP MELTING PROCESS

Disclosed herein is a scrap melting process for the production of molten iron from scrap (as the source of iron) and of high-calorie exhaust gas (as a valuable fuel gas) from pulverized coal (as the principal source of heat and a partial source of high-calorie exhaust gas) and waste plastics (as the principal source of high-calorie exhaust gas and a partial source of heat). The process comprises charging a shaft furnace (equipped with a burner at the tuyere) with scrap (as the iron source) and coke and optional waste plastics from the furnace top and injecting pulverized coal (or pulverized coal plus waste plastics) and oxygen through the burner under specific conditions, so as to mix together pulverized coal (or pulverized coal plus waste plastics) and oxygen, thereby achieving rapid combustion of pulverized coal etc., thereby causing the sensible heat of the combustion gas to melt the scrap and produce molten iron therefrom and recovering the combustion gas as a fuel gas without intentional secondary combustion in the furnace.