Pig Iron

Pig iron

Pig iron is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silica and other dross, which makes it brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications.

Pig

The pig, also called swine or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus Sus. Some authorities consider it a subspecies of Sus scrofa ; other authorities consider it a distinct species. Pigs were domesticated independently twice during the Neolithic, in the Near East around the Tigris Basin, and in China. When domesticated pigs arrived in Europe from the Near East, they extensively interbred with wild boar in Europe but retained their domesticated features.

Iron

Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust. In its metallic state it was mainly deposited by meteorites.

pig iron

Noun

1. A brittle, impure form of iron produced by smelting iron ore which is often shaped into blocks; it is unsuitable for working but suitable for casting, and so is commonly used as an industrial raw material; a sample of such iron.
2. An iron plate which is hung between a piece of meat and the fire used to cook it to prevent the meat from burning if the fire is too hot.