A furnace heated by solid fuel, usually coke, through which a blast of air is blown to aid combustion. Blast furnaces are used in the smelting of ore. In steel making, iron ore, coke, and limestone are poured in at the top of a vertical furnace and hot air is blown in at the bottom to burn the coke.
Molten iron is drawn off at the bottom.
A glassy waste, called slag, is also produced. The Macmillan Encyclopedia 2001 3. The Macmillan Encyclopedia 2001 4. The Macmillan Encyclopedia 2001 5. All rights reserved.