We claim:
1. A method of manufacturing briquette coal which is inputted into and
quickly heated in a dome portion of a melting and gasifying furnace in an
apparatus for manufacturing molten iron that includes a melting and gasifying
furnace into which reduced iron is inputted, and a reducing furnace connected
to the melting and gasifying furnace to provide the reduced iron, the method
comprising:
providing powdered coal;
mixing a powdered cellulose ether compound with the powdered coal and providing a mixture;
adding water to the mixture and mixing the mixture with the water; and
molding the mixture and providing briquette coal,
wherein in the providing of the briquette coal, the amount of cellulose ether compound contained in the briquette coal is 0.7 wt% to 2.0 wt%.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the amount of cellulose ether compound is 0.8 wt% to 1.5 wt%.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein:
in the providing of the briquette coal, the amount of moisture contained

in the briquette coal is 5 wt% to 15 wt%.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein:
the amount of moisture contained in the briquette coal is 7 wt% to 12 wt%.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein:
a ratio of the amount of moisture contained in the briquette coal to the amount of cellulose ether compound contained in the briquette coal is 5 to 40.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein:
a ratio of the amount of moisture contained in the briquette coal to the amount of cellulose ether compound contained in the briquette coal is 7 to 20.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
in the providing of the mixture, an average grain size of the cellulose ether compound is 50 μm to 100 μm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:
in the providing of the mixture, a ratio of an average grain size of the powdered coal to an average grain size of the cellulose ether compound is 7 to 30.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein:
a ratio of an average grain size of the powdered coal to an average grain size of the cellulose ether compound is 10 to 20.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein:
a mixing time in the providing of the mixture is smaller than a mixing time in the adding of the water to the mixture and the mixing of the mixture with the water, and a ratio of the mixing time in the providing of the mixture to the mixing time in the adding of the water to the mixture and the mixing of the mixture with the water is 2 to 5.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the cellulose ether compound includes at least one compound selected from a group consisting of methyl cellulose (MC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), and

hydroxyethylmethyl cellulose (HEMC).
12. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the cellulose ether compound includes no carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC).
13. The method of claim 1, wherein:
viscosity of the cellulose ether compound is 4,000 cps to 80,000 cps.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
drying the mixture after the adding of the water to the mixture and the mixing of the mixture with the water.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein:
in the providing of the mixture, the powdered coal is further mixed with one or more binders selected from a group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), lignin, and starch.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:
in the providing of the briquette coal, the amount of moisture contained in the briquette coal is 5 wt% to 15 wt%.
17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
adjusting the amount of moisture contained in the briquette coal to 5 wt% or less by heating the briquette coal at 80°C to 150°C for one to twenty-four hours, and adjusting a compressive load of the briquette coal to 100 kgf or more.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein:
the briquette coal is heated by one or more heat sources selected from a group consisting of steam, near infrared rays, microwaves, liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied propane gas (LPG), exhaust gas (Finex off gas (FOG)) for manufacturing molten iron, cokes oven gas (COG), and blast furnace gas (BFG).
19. A method of manufacturing molten iron, the method comprising: providing briquette coal manufactured according to claim 1; providing reduced iron made by reducing iron ore in a reducing furnace;

and
providing molten iron by inputting the briquette coal and the reduced iron into the melting and gasifying furnace.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein:
in the providing of the reduced iron, the reducing furnace is a fluidized-bed reducing furnace or a packed-bed reducing furnace.
21. A briquette coal which is inputted into and quickly heated in a dome
portion of a melting and gasifying furnace in an apparatus for manufacturing
molten iron that includes a melting and gasifying furnace into which reduced
iron is inputted, and a reducing furnace connected to the melting and gasifying
furnace to provide the reduced iron,
the briquette coal comprising: a cellulose ether compound of 0.7 wt% to 2.0 wt%, moisture of 5 wt% to 15 wt%, and the remaining powdered coal.
22. The briquette coal of claim 21, wherein:
the amount of cellulose ether compound is 0.8 wt% to 1.5 wt%.

23. An apparatus for manufacturing briquette coal, the apparatus
comprising:
a powdered coal hopper which stores powdered coal;
a binder hopper which stores a water-soluble binder;
a mixer which is supplied with the powdered coal from the powdered coal hopper, is supplied with the water-soluble binder from the binder hopper, and mixes the powdered coal and the water-soluble binder to manufacture a mixture;
a water supply unit which supplies water to the mixer;
a molding device which manufactures briquette coal by being supplied with the mixture from the mixer;
a storage bin which is supplied with the briquette coal from the molding device, heats and dries the briquette coal, and has a diameter that is gradually decreased from a lower side to an upper side; and
a heat source which supplies a hot blast for drying the briquette coal at the lower side of the storage bin.
24. An apparatus for manufacturing molten iron, the apparatus comprising:
the apparatus for manufacturing briquette coal according to claim 23;
a reducing furnace which provides reduced iron; and
a melting and gasifying furnace which is connected to the reducing furnace so as to be supplied with the reduced iron, and connected to the apparatus for manufacturing briquette coal so as to be supplied with the

briquette coal to manufacture molten iron,
wherein the reducing furnace is a fluidized-bed reducing furnace or a packed-bed reducing furnace.