Blast furnace and converter are two crucial links in iron and steel production, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages:

Blast furnace ironmaking is currently one of the most effective methods for pig iron extraction globally. It achieves excellent reduction efficiency, and the larger the blast furnace, the better the reduction effect—meanwhile, the iron content in slag is lower.

Blast furnaces consume substantial amounts of coke. However, coking coal resources are limited, leading to a rapid surge in coke prices. Additionally, blast furnace ironmaking causes severe environmental pollution, particularly in the processes that supply raw materials and fuels for the blast furnace (e.g., water pollutants and dust emissions from coke ovens, SO₂ and dust emissions from sintering, and excessive CO₂ emissions from blast furnaces). Other drawbacks include the long process flow and high investment of traditional ironmaking.

Converter steelmaking features high production efficiency and favorable environmental performance. It enables continuous operation and has the capacity for mass production. Compared with blast furnaces, converter steelmaking has a shorter process flow and relatively lower investment costs.

Converters rely on fuel for heating, emitting large quantities of pollutants such as smoke, waste gas, and oxides. Furthermore, they have strict requirements for raw materials and are unsuitable for processing molten iron with high impurity content.