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Why does every tonne of steel need lime?
The hidden ingredient in every tonne of steel.
Dr. Lime Explains
Every tonne of steel begins as iron ore, and iron ore is never clean. It carries silicon, phosphorus and sulphur, the things that make steel weak and brittle.
Lime removes them.
In the furnace, lime pulls these unwanted elements out of the molten metal. They rise to the top as a layer called slag. The slag is skimmed off, and what's left behind is clean steel.
A steel plant uses roughly 40 to 60 kilograms of lime for every tonne of steel it makes.
Worth knowing
The slag does a second job as well. It protects the furnace lining. Without enough lime, the slag turns acidic and starts eating into the furnace walls. So lime protects the equipment, not just the steel.
Source: World Steel Association.
