During the process, oxygen is blown into a BOF converter containing liquid hot metal containing high carbon content. The oxygen combines with the dissolved carbon to form CO, which then escapes as gas. Thus, the hot metal is transformed into liquid steel with a low carbon content.
basic oxygen process (BOP), a steelmaking method in which pure oxygen is blown into a bath of molten blast-furnace iron and scrap. The oxygen initiates a series of intensively exothermic (heat-releasing) reactions, including the oxidation of such impurities as carbon, silicon, phosphorus, and manganese.
More than half the world's steel is produced in the basic oxygen process (BOP), which uses pure oxygen to convert a charge of liquid blast-furnace iron and scrap into steel.
