摘要:
A method of producing reduced iron and light oil from iron ore and heavy oil which comprises a thermal cracking step of subjecting heavy oil to thermal cracking while retaining iron ore particles in a fluidized state to produce light oil and simultaneously to deposit coke as by-product on the surface of the iron ore particles; a gasification step of putting the coke-deposited ore in contact with an oxidizing gas including steam and oxygen in a fluidized state to react the coke with the gas thereby to produce a reducing gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide and of heating the coke-deposited ore upward of a reduction temperature of iron ore by partial oxidization of the coke; and a reduction step of reducing the coke-deposited iron ore in a fluidized state by the reducing gas to produce reduced iron. When the gasification step is performed by an oxidizing gas containing a majority of steam and up to 15 vol. %, based on the steam, of oxygen at 800.degree.-1000.degree. C. under a pressure of 0-10 kg/cm.sup.2 G, a reducing gas containing high-concentration hydrogen gas is obtained.