Low Temperature Formation of Iron Carbide from Iron Oxide with CO‐H2 Gas Mixtures

Commercially pure iron oxide in the form of fine particles were reacted with CO‐H2 gas mixtures at ambient pressure (≍ 0.8 atm) in the temperature range 573 to 1073K. Reduction to metallic iron was carried out with pure hydrogen. The rate of formation of iron carbide was measured by recording the weight change with a thermogravimetric apparatus. The results obtained indicate that for each gas phase composition a maximum rate was observed, at apparently the same temperature. These maxima in the rate occur at a lower temperature than those reported in previous investigations. A dissociative adsorption model, based on the reduction of CO with hydrogen was developed which qualitatively describes the observed results.