Evaluating the exhaust gases escaping from the top throat of a functioning Iron Blast Furnace provid — Metallurgy and Isolation of Elements Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

The air blasted into the tuyeres is ~78% Nitrogen. Nitrogen is chemically inert at these conditions and passes straight through the furnace. The Coke burns to $CO_2$, which is largely reduced to $CO$. Thus, the escaping exhaust gas is a mixture heavily dominated by inert $N_2$ ($\sim 60\%$), along with significant unreacted $CO$ ($\sim 30\%$) and $CO_2$ ($\sim 10\%$).