PRODUCTION OF IRON CARBIDE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently carburize iron into carbide on iron-containing raw material by using the iron-containing raw materials having different reducing ratios as the raw materials, at the time of producing the raw material for iron-making and steelmaking consisting essentially of the iron carbide by reducing and carburizing the iron raw material for iron-making consisting essentially of iron oxides and iron hydroxides. SOLUTION: The mixed raw materials consisting of an iron-containing raw material having high reducing ratio and an iron-containing raw material having low reducing ratio, are used. By this method, the density of H2 O obstructing the carbide formation becomes not uniform in a system, and the iron carbide-formation is promoted from the iron-containing raw material part having low H2 O density and high reducing ratio as the starting point. Further, it is preferable that, after a first reaction operation which executes a part of the reducing reaction, a second reaction operation which executes the remaining reducing reaction and the carburizing reaction is progressed. By this method, since the gas used for each operation is made to have the most suitable composition, the reduction and the carburization are executed by a faster reacting speed and in a shorter reaction time than those in the single operation using a mixed gas of the reducing gas and the carburizing gas, respectively.