The processes of iron oxides’ reduction have a complex physicochemical mechanism, with the participation of solid, liquid, and gaseous substances. The article discusses the existing models for the reduction of iron oxides and provides data on the thermodynamic possibility of carrying out the reactions of their reduction through the solid and gas phases. Experimental data on the reduction of iron from industrial scale, obtained by the DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) method, show the kinetic dependence of the rate and completeness of recovery on external factors: pressing pressure during sample preparation and the reagents’ composition. The pressing pressure, under conditions of iron ions’ solid-phase diffusion, has the significant effect by increasing the reagents’ contact area. Under conditions of iron ions’ comprehensive diffusion, the pressing pressure does not affect the reduction processes rate. The introduction of 10 mass.% flux into the raw mixture composition leads to a partially liquid-phase diffusion of iron ions and weakens the effect of the pressing pressure in this process. An ion diffusion-catalytic mechanism is proposed to describe the observed effects during the reduction of iron oxide of technogenic origin.

Nowadays almost all smelted steel is processed in "ladle-furnace" (LF), where the steel is processed under refining conditions and brought to the desired temperature and chemical composition. Therefore, large amounts of refining slag are formed. Only in Russia there is about 1.4 million tons of slag exported to dumps annually. This slag cannot be processed by the schemes implemented in the industry, since the slag quickly turns into the tiniest dust during solidification and cooling. Such dust is easily aerated and carried by the wind for long distances; it pollutes soils, dissolves in ground, sedimentary and sewage waters. It also pollutes slag dumps that are suitable for processing for crushed stone.

Nowadays due to the application expansion of secondary steel processing methods, which provide high-degree metal desulfurization, a problem of the ladle furnace slag (or high-calcium refining slag) stabilization arose in the ferrous metallurgy. This slag cannot be stabilized because of its self-disintegrating properties.

The article gives analysis of long-term and perspective tasks of automating EAF, particularly relevant to the conditions of domestic production. The results of studies on quality control of foaming slag in the super-power EAF-135 OJSC "Seversky Pipe Plant" are shown. We made the conclusions about the possibilities of using the electrical mode parameters for the operational control of the processes of smelting steel and ferroalloys.