Up to 1709, furnaces could only use charcoal to produce iron. However, wood (which is what charcoal is made from) was becoming more expensive, as forests were being cleared for farmland and timber.

Unions have put forward a plan to keep blast furnaces in Scunthorpe open. The GMB, Community and Unite unions said they met bosses from British Steel's Chinese owners Jingye Group this week.

Swedish steelmaker SSAB is replacing its blast furnaces in Oxelösund, Sweden with an electric arc furnace and associated raw ...