Presentation title: Proposal for a new steelmaking process based on hydrogen reduction.

Shin-ya Kitamura is an emeritus professor of Tohoku University, where he worked from 2005 to 2020. Prior to joining Tohoku University, he was a researcher at Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC) from 1980 to 2003 and Nippon Steel and Sumikin Stainless Steel Corporation (NSSC) from 2003 to 2005. During his time at Tohoku University, he was a professor of the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Materials Science (IMRAM) and focused on studying chemical reactions in the steelmaking process. Some of his key accomplishments at IMRAM include studying the composition change of inclusions through the reaction of refractory and molten steel, simulating the secondary refining process to estimate the inclusion composition, establishing a simulation program of hot metal dephosphorization using the converter, utilizing steelmaking slag for rice growth fertilizer, and extracting phosphorus from steelmaking slag by leaching. While at Nippon Steel, he developed a novel degassing process by single schnorkel (REDA), continuous dephosphorization and decarburization treatment using intermediate slag discharging technology (MURC), etc. He also held leadership roles as the group leader of the refining process in NSC and as the head of the R&D Center in NSSC. He earned a master's degree in Engineering from Tohoku University in 1980 and a doctorate in Engineering from Kyushu University in 1991. Additionally, from 2015 to 2020, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy, published by TMS.

Presentation title: Resource utilization of steel slag for carbon emission reduction

Prof. Zuotai ZHANG, received his Ph.D from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and finished postdoctoral fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, is currently a professor Southern University of Science and Technology. He also serves as the director of the Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Urban Solid Waste Resource Utilization Technology and Management, and the deputy director of the Guangdong Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Remediation.

Prof. Zhang has focused on the efficient and clean utilization of solid waste and carbon reduction technology. He was in charge of more than 30 projects including the Outstanding Youth fund of NSFC, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, etc. He has published more than 200 research articles and more than 50 patents in the United States and China, including more than 20 technology transfers. He has received 8 academic awards, including the the first prize of China Circular Economy Association Technology.

Presentation title: Recent Update of CCU Applications based on FOG (FINEX Off Gas) in an Integrated Steel Mill.

Professor Sangho Yi’s research focuses on Innovative ironmaking pathways with emphasis on green steel technology addressing climate change. He led the development of FINEX?, which succeeded in commercialization through the pilot development process from basic research. Prof. Yi is actively involved in various discussion for several global and national forums on the energy conversion of the steel sector.  Currently, he serves as the chair of the Korean government's research project planning committee in industrial materials and is involved in the development of hydrogen-reduced steel process (HyREX?) and an innovative CO2 reduction technology for BF route, as well as CCU technology development using FINEX? off-gas. Since January 2024, he has served as a professor at GIFT, POSTECH and director of the Research Center for Hydrogen Steelmaking Technology (HySRI).

Presentation title: Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in CaO-P2O5-FeO based Slag at Elevated Temperature for Phosphorus Recovery

Obtained M. Eng. in Kyoto University and Ph.D. in Hokkaido University.

Joined Steel Research Laboratory, Kawasaki Steel Corporation in 1991

Worked as an assistant professor at Ferrous Metallurgy Research Group, Kyoto University from 1998 to 2001.

Gained experience on steel refining and slag utilization in Steel Research Laboratory, JFE Steel Corporation until 2015.

Moved to Department of Applied Chemistry, Nippon Institute of Technology as a full professor in 2016. Mainly working on pyrometallurgical processes, as well as carbon-neutral technology.

Received Nishiyama Commemorative Prize of ISIJ in 2023.

Presentation title: New Processes and Technologies for Pollution Reduction and Carbon Emission Mitigation in Iron Ore Sintering

Xiaohui Fan, professor, doctoral supervisor and the party secretary of School of Mineral Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University. She is an expert enjoying the special allowance of the State Council, selected as the New Century Excellent Talent of the Ministry of Education, discipline leader of Hunan Province, and the first-level talent of the Hunan 121 Innovative Talent Project. Professor Fan has been awarded Metallurgical Youth of the Chinese Society for Metals (CSM), Baosteel Outstanding Teacher (Special Award), Xu Teli Education Award, Fok Ying Tung Education Award, Hunan Province "Furong Excellent Teacher" and "Furong Hundred Posts Star". She is also the deputy director of the Environmental Protection Branch of CSM, member of the Technical Committee of the National Sintering Pelletizing Equipment System Engineering Technology Research Center, deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Geological and Mineral Professional Teaching Committee, and the editorial board member of magazine Steel.

Prof. Fan has long been engaged in low-carbon agglomeration and hydrogen metallurgy, metallurgical flue gas pollution control and CCUS, mathematical modeling and intelligent control of metallurgical processes, and multi-industry solid waste collaborative resource utilization. Prof. Fan has presided over 100 projects, including key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation, National Key Research and Development Plan, international cooperation/university-enterprise cooperation projects. Prof. Fan has won 2 second prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 4 first prizes of provincial and ministerial science and technology progress awards, 1 provincial innovation team award, 4 second prizes of provincial and ministerial science and technology progress awards, 1 national excellent science and technology book award, authorized 90 invention patents and 8 software copyrights, published 5 monographs and more than 250 academic papers.

Presentation title: Industrial experimental study on hot-dip galvanizing slag reduction and metallic zinc recovery

Shi Lei, Male, born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province in 1977, Ph.D, Professor  Senior Engineer, mainly engages in research and application of metallurgical resource recycling, hazardous waste treatment and disposal, and urban waste utilization. Obtains 8 scientific and technological awards from Shanghai, Zhejiang Province and Baowu Group, more than 40 patents are accepted and authorized , more than 10 papers are published, and jointly completes more than 20 National, Shanghai, and Baowu Group level scientific research and industrialization projects, including 4 projects undertook.

Presentation title: Fundamental research on reduction of steelmaking slag by SiC

Mr. Kazehiko Nagata is a senior researcher of Slag and Refractories Research Department, Steel Research Laboratory, JFE Steel Corporation. He Joined JFE steel in 2019 after he acquired master’s degree of engineering in the University of Tokyo in the same year. Since then, he has been conducting research related to Development of steelmaking-slag applications.

Presentation title: Influence of gas compositions on the reduction behavior of mill scale-carbon composite below 1373K

Prof. Sun-Joong Kim received his PhD degree from Tohoku University in Japan under the supervision of Prof. Shin-ya Kitamura. He was an assistant professor at Tohoku University until 2016. Later, Prof. Kim joined Chosun University in Korea. Prof. Kim has actively been involved in various national projects for CO2 reduction in the steelmaking process. These projects include the development of hybrid electric arc furnace (EAF) processes, the recycling of ferrous by-products, and the application of bio-char and pyro-char in EAF processes.

Presentation title: Extracting white phosphorus from steelmaking slag in molten salt

Xiao Yang received a college degree from Beihang University in 2003 and his Ph.D. from The University of Tokyo in 2009. He has conducted research at several prestigious institutions, including AIST in Japan, Shagang Steel, Kyoto University, The University of Texas at Austin, Yonsei University, and The University of Tokyo. Since 2020, he has been leading the Research Group of Extractive Metallurgy at Westlake University as a Principal Investigator. His group is dedicated to developing molten salt-mediated metallurgical processes (https://www.extractmetal.com).

Presentation title: Effective recycle of steel slag through valorization of iron and phosphorus

Dr. Prof. Xu Gao, graduated from The University of Tokyo, is now a Professor of Central South University. Previously, He worked as an assistant and associate professor at Tohoku University. His studies mainly focus in the fields of high-temperature steelmaking process, and valuable element extraction from industrial waste. He has published over 80 academic papers, and over 100 conference papers. Since working in Japan, Dr. Gao has earned over 14 projects including the Japanese government fund, ISIJ fund, NSFC fund, etc. Dr. Gao has received the “Excellent Young Researcher award” and “Sawamura award” from ISIJ, also the “J. Sus. Met. Best Paper Award” from TMS.