Process for the rapid removal of sulphur and silicon from pig iron

Claim 1

A METHOD OF SIMULTANEOUSLY REDUCING THE SULPHUR AND SILICON CONTENTS OF PIG IRON SUBSTANTIALLY SATURATED WITH CARBON AND CONTAINING MANGANESE IN A RATIO OF 1.2 TO 1 RELATIVE TO THE SILICON CONTENT, WHICH CONSISTS IN CHARGING MOLTEN IRON INTO A BASIC-LINED VESSEL, CONVERING THE IRON WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY NEUTRAL LIME-SILICA SLAG HAVING A MELTING RANGE BELOW 1250*C., SAID SLAG INCLUDING ALSO SULPHUR-ABSORBING INGREDIENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FERROUS OXIDE, MANGANESE OXIDE AND MIXTURES THEREOF IN AMOUNT BETWEEN 10-50% BY WEIGHT OF THE SLAG, SURFACE-BLOWING SAID SLAG WITH OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS FOR A FEW MINUTES, UNTIL THE OXYGEN PARTIALLY OXIDIZES THE SILICON AND MANGANESE CONTENTS OF THE LIQUID IRON, AND TERMINATING THE BLOW BEFORE THE CARBON CONTENT IS OXIDIZED TO A SUBSTANTIAL EXTENT, THEREBY CAUSING A PORTION OF THE SILICON AND SULPHUR OF THE IRON TO COMBINE WITH THE SLAG.