In the steelmaking process, iron scrap gets melted in an electric arc furnace and recycled. Graphite electrodes, a kind of conductor, are an essential component in this kind of furnace. They can melt scrap at a temperature of about 1600℃.
Did you know that there are two ways to make iron? The blast furnace method and the electric arc furnace method. The electric arc furnace method recycles used iron scrap by melting it in an electric arc furnace. It is the graphite electrodes inside the furnace that actually melt the iron. Graphite has high thermal conductivity and is very resistant to heat and impact. It also has low electrical resistance, which means it can conduct the large electrical currents needed to melt iron. In recent years, graphite electrodes have been made even more efficient: they can now conduct even higher currents and more power.