Primary Exploration of Hydrogen Metallurgy

This book is a monograph dedicated to hydrogen metallurgy technology in iron ore reduction in the world (mainly in China), aiming to accelerate the development of hydrogen metallurgy research and promote the low-carbon process in the iron and steel industry. This book mainly introduces the frontier theory and process technology of hydrogen metallurgy, focusing on the behavior and role of hydrogen in reducing iron ore. The specific contents include hydrogen production and storage technology, hydrogen direct reduction of iron oxide technology, hydrogen smelting reduction of iron oxide technology, plasma hydrogen reduction of iron oxide theory, and the behavior of hydrogen in blast furnace iron-making and sintering processes. This book provides a comprehensive and detailed description of the theories and process technologies involved in hydrogen metallurgy at the levels of fundamental theory, feasibility analysis, experimental studies, and industrial applications. This book can be usedas a reference for metallurgical engineering, iron, and steel metallurgy majors, as well as teachers and students, researchers, engineers, and enterprise staff interested in hydrogen and low-carbon metallurgy-related fields.

Prof. Dr. Jianliang Zhang is a full professor of metallurgical engineering at the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB). He is currently an honorary professor at the University of Queensland. Prof. Zhang was awarded the honors of Beijing Excellent Teacher, National Outstanding Scientist, and particular allowance expert of the State Council. Prof. Zhang is the dean of the School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering of USTB. He serves as chairman of the Ironmaking Branch of the Chinese Society for Metals, secretary of the World Steel Development Research Institute, deputy leader of the National Hydrogen Metallurgy Standard Working Group, director of the Key Laboratory of Metallurgical Industry Safety Risk Prevention and Control Department, deputy director of the Collaborative Innovation Center of HBIS and USTB, deputy director of the Green Low Carbon and Comprehensive Utilization of Resource Laboratory of Jianlong Group and USTB, director of Green Manufacturing Institute of Baowu Group and USTB, and director of the Wei Shoukun Award Office of USTB. Prof. Zhang has long researched Low-carbon Ironmaking, Hydrogen Metallurgy, Optimization Control Technology of the Ironmaking Process, Reaction Mechanism of Metallurgical Process, Direct Reduction Ironmaking, Comprehensive Utilization of Resources, and Metallurgical Process Expert Systems. He has presided over 300 research projects, including the National Science and Technology Major Project. Prof. Zhang has maintained close contact with RWTH Aachen University, the University of Toronto, the University of Leoben, the University of Queensland, and the University of Wollongong. Prof. Zhang has won one second prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award and 37 provincial-level science and technology progress awards. He has obtained one national standard approval and one group standard approval. He has published over 1,000 papers and has been selected as a ＂Highly Cited Researcher in China＂ by Elsevier in 2021 and 2022. He has been granted 76 patents and published 12 monographs.

Prof. Dr. Kejiang Li is a full professor at the School of Metallurgy and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB). He is also the deputy secretary-general of the Metallurgical Reaction Engineering Branch of the Chinese Society of Metals (CSM) and a young editorial board member of IJMMM and China Metallurgy journals. He has been awarded the China Association of Science and Technology (CAST) Young Talent Support Project. Kejiang Li got his Ph.D. from the USTB and the University of Toronto (for joint study) in 2017, then joined USTB as a specially appointed associate professor in the same year and was promoted to professor in 2021. Kejiang Li is dedicated to studying metallurgical reaction processes and improving metallurgical technology from the microscopic atomic scale to the macroscopic process scale. He has published over 80 SCI papers as the first/corresponding author in recent years, with a citation rate of more than 1600 times and an H factor of 21. He has authorized over ten patents, published one Chinese monograph, and co-edited one English monograph. His research results promote the interdisciplinarity of metallurgical engineering, computational chemistry, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence while providing the theoretical and technological basis for the realization of carbon neutrality in the iron and steel industry. Kejiang Li has presided over two projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and participated in more than ten low-carbon metallurgy projects of Baowu Group and other enterprises, two of which were recognized as international leading by the China Society for Metals’ technical appraisal. He has won 3 provincial and ministerial awards, including the Metallurgical Science and Technology Award of the China Society for Metals and the China Industry-University-Research Cooperation Innovation and Promotion Award. He has served as a reviewer for more than 20 international journals.