The blast furnace is primarily used in the extraction of what metal from its ore?

The blast furnace is primarily used in the extraction of iron from its ore, particularly iron oxides such as hematite (Fe2O3) or magnetite (Fe3O4). In this process, the ore is combined with coke and limestone in the furnace at high temperatures. The coke serves as a fuel source and reduces the iron oxide to iron through a chemical reaction, while the limestone helps to remove impurities by forming slag. This method is efficient for large-scale production of iron, making it the primary process for obtaining this metal. Other metals listed, like copper and aluminum, utilize different extraction methods such as smelting in a furnace or electrolysis, respectively. Lead can also be extracted through smelting, but it is not the primary use of a blast furnace.