A method of using scrap rubber, such as tires or parts of tires, to
manufacture or melt steel and other metals includes inserting into a
furnace at a more precise and controlled rate, time, and location the
scrap rubber. The controlled rate of insertion into the furnace, as
opposed to batch feeding them, permits the use of larger quantities of
scrap rubber. The net benefit includes reducing the amount of scrap
rubber, such as tires, to be sent to a waste disposal facility or
landfill, thereby improving the environment. In addition, by increasing
the use of scrap rubber as a source of energy for steel or the metal
production, less energy is required from other sources. The invention
further allows the scrap rubber to be put into the furnace separate from
the scrap metal that is also to be put into the furnace, thereby
eliminating the known methods and techniques of combining of the scrap
rubber with the steel or scrap metal prior to the placement of the scrap
rubber and scrap metal into the furnace. The invention further allows the
carbon monoxide that is being formed by the foamy slag process in the
furnace to convert to carbon dioxide with additional heat generation
inside of the furnace--a result of the catalytic effect of the tires.