• Iron ore addition enhances iron coke gasification by increasing micropores and specific surface area, providing more CO2 adsorption sites and lowering initial gasification temperature.
• Metallic iron from ore reduction disrupts carbon structure order, boosting carbon atom reactivity and overall gasification kinetics.
• The random pore model accurately describes iron coke gasification, with activation energy decreasing from 246.2 kJ/mol (coke) to 192.5 kJ/mol (15wt% iron coke).
• Accelerating heating rate in non-isothermal gasification improves iron coke reactivity, offering process optimization for low-carbon ironmaking.