carbothermic smelting

Carbothermic processes utilize carbon at high temperatures to produce metals by reducing their oxides. This industrial method involves heating metal oxides with a reducing agent, typically carbon, causing the oxygen to combine with the carbon and escape as carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. The metal is then left in an uncombined form.123

This technique is crucial in metallurgy, particularly for extracting metals like magnesium from their ores. In the context of steelmaking, carbon's oxidation is a key reaction, producing carbon monoxide that aids in mixing and purging impurities. Smelting, a related process, involves melting ore constituents to separate valuable metals from waste rock, often using carbon as a fuel and reducing agent.1423