Patent ID: 8012237

Claim:
A process for producing molten iron comprising: blowing an inert gas into a molten iron layer in an iron bath melting furnace through bottom-blown tuyeres provided in a hearth bottom thereof to stir the molten iron layer; charging solid reduced iron, a carbon material, and an additive flux into the melting furnace, wherein the solid reduced iron is obtained by heating reduction of carbon composite iron oxide briquettes; performing top blowing of an oxygen-containing gas through a top-blown lance provided for the melting furnace; and obtaining molten iron by melting the solid reduced iron by combustion heat generated by combusting at least one of the carbon material and carbon in molten iron, wherein the carbon material is charged to form a carbon material suspension slag layer in which the carbon material is suspended at an upper layer portion of a slag layer comprising slag generated when the solid reduced iron on the molten iron layer is melted into molten iron and further to form a carbon material covering layer consisting essentially of the carbon material on the carbon material suspension slag layer, and the molten iron and the slag accumulated in the melting furnace are discharged through a taphole provided at a lower portion of a furnace side of the melting furnace.