Which commonly used steel melter acts as a deoxidizer due to its low cost and availability?

Aluminum is commonly used as a deoxidizer in steelmaking due to its effectiveness and low cost. In the steel melting process, the presence of oxygen can lead to the formation of oxides that can adversely affect the quality of steel. Aluminum serves to remove this oxygen from the molten steel, forming aluminum oxide, which is less detrimental to the steel’s properties. Its availability and relatively low price make aluminum a favored choice among industry practitioners for deoxidizing molten steel during production.

Other materials, while also serving various roles in metallurgy, do not match aluminum’s combination of effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and accessibility for use as a common deoxidizer in steelmaking processes.