Iron Wikipedia
The carbon monoxide reduces the iron ore (in the chemical equation below, hematite) to molten iron, becoming carbon dioxide in the process: Fe 2 O 3 + 3 CO → 2 Fe + 3 CO 2. Some iron in the hightemperature lower region of the furnace reacts directly with the coke: 2 Fe 2 O 3 + 3 C → 4 Fe + 3 CO 2