Abstract <p>Large quantities of iron-bearing solid wastes such as copper slag, steel slag, and red mud have accumulated and are urgently in need of treatment. Direct reduction processes, which are often confined to laboratory-scale mechanism studies, have not provided feasible implementation pathways. The blast furnace remains the metallurgical reaction facility with the most energy-efficient operation and highest reduction efficiency to date.This article investigates the engineering feasibility of extracting iron from copper tailings, produced by non-ferrous metal smelting, and copper slag, generated during steel smelting, by combining them with steel slag through sintering, pellet preparation, load dripping tests, and smelting reduction tests. The results demonstrate that, with appropriate proportioning and preparation processes, solid waste can be transformed into artificial ore suitable for furnace feeding. However, this method faces challenges concerning reducibility, softening and dripping temperatures, and high energy consumption. The resulting tailings can be directly utilized in cement and building material production, but the residual elements present in wastes may affect the quality of steel. Further research is required to optimize processes and address associated challenges.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>