Is there a level of decomposition after rust? Or is there any way (either naturally or through processing) to return rusted iron to a deoxidized state?

Question

From my understanding, iron veins in mines are spotted by their bright red color due to rust on the exposed surface. Then when it’s refined, the rust separates as slag and is discarded, leaving the pure iron behind.

Is this accurate? Or does the refining process deoxidize iron while separating impurities?

In: 16

Answer 1

Try not to think about it as decomposition. It’s oxidation on a molecular level, not decomposition on a macro/organism level. So it can be reversed, removing the oxygen. In fact, you can buy the chemicals necessary from a hardware store.