On Sustainable Iron and Steel Making (8th Intl. Symp.)


Bio | CV | Publications

This major symposium is in honor of the distinguished work and lifetime achievements of Dr. Joseph J Poveromo. Dr. Poveromo is a well-known figure for his impact on ironmaking and ironmaking and steelmaking raw materials including blast furnace burden and gas distribution, development of fluxed iron ore pellets, utilization of iron ore concentrates in sintering, evaluating the impact of coal and coke properties on ironmaking processes, improvement of direct reduction grade pellets, advancement of natural gas utilization in ironmaking processes, promotion of iron ore based metallics in electric furnace steelmaking and analysis of economics of alternative ironmaking processes. He has dedicated himself to research, development and continuing education, starting with his collaboration with Prof. Julian Szekely at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB), Center for Process Metallurgy, continuing at the Homer Research Labs of Bethlehem Steel, then serving as Technical Director, International with Quebec Cartier Mining Company and since 2008 as an independent consultant: Raw Materials & Ironmaking Global Consulting. His continuing education activities have been through the AIME Iron & Steel Society (now AIST, Association of Iron & Steel Technology), SME (Society of Mining Engineers) and McMaster University, Canada. He has authored book chapters on iron ore processing and products and books on the markets for metallurgical coke and ironmaking/steelmaking slags, and has made over 150 presentations and publications in national and international venues.

Throughout his career, his activity has impacted various fields, such as:

1. Blast furnace fluid dynamics – his first research field at SUNYAB covered blast furnace fluid dynamics, where along with his advisor, Prof. Julian Szekely, he developed relationships to predict raceway and combustion zone penetration, shape, etc, as a function of blast conditions, coke properties, etc; they also were one of pioneers in using vectorial forms of the conservation equations to predict gas streamlines in packed beds such as the blast furnace stack region. These efforts culminated in a series of publications in refereed journals.
2. Blast furnace raw material charging practices – he extended his University research into the real world at the Homer Research Labs where he utilized 1:18 scale physical models of blast furnace charging systems and stack region, utilizing scaled raw materials, based on similarity criteria, to develop improved charging practices. These improved charging practices contributed to increased productivity and reduced fuel rates at Bethlehem Steel’s two bell top furnaces. His publications of these results were recognized with the Iron & Steel Society Process Technology Division John Chipman Award in 1984.
3. Blast furnace fluxed pellet development – he was part of a North America steel industry working group that proposed and conducted successful trials of newly developed fluxed pellets at Dofasco Steel in Canada; he later led an effort at Bethlehem Steel and Iron Ore Company of Canada to develop, test and utilize fluxed pellets. The adoption of fluxed pellets across North America led to process benefits (productivity, coke rate, lining life) with 100 % pellet operations while enabling the shutdown of older, small sintering plants with attendant environmental benefits. These and other accomplishments contributed to his receiving the AIME J. E. Johnson, Jr Award for outstanding ironmaking engineer under the age of 40
4. Iron ore pellet chemistry improvements – within his time at Bethlehem Steel and later at Quebec Cartier Mining Company, he played a lead role in improving pellet quality by proposing flow sheet changes (fine screens, etc) to reduce SiO2 content to reduce blast furnace slag volume. He also modified fluxed pellet chemistry specs to increase CaO/SiO2 ratio to improve pellet strength and low temperature breakdown; he later proposed comparable changes to global pellet operations in Russia, Mexico and elsewhere.
5. Improved DR grade pellet quality development – at Quebec Cartier Mining Company (QCM) he coordinated a working group to elevate QCM’s DR grade pellets to world class status whereby these pellets have been supplied to Midrex direct reduction modules in 5 continents. Improvements were made in reduction of pellet SiO2 level, increased reducibility and reduction of sticking tendency. He represented QCM in the IIMA (International Iron Metallics Association) and was later elected as a Fellow and Special Member of IIMA.
6. Advancing Utilization of Iron Ore Concentrates in Sintering and Alternative Ironmaking Operations – iron ore concentrates are produced mainly by upgrading of lower grade ores to produce fine sized particles with excellent chemistry; Dr. Poveromo developed methods and promoted increased use of such concentrates in sinter plants in the USA and elsewhere globally and also in the Iron Dynamics Inc rotary hearth/submerged arc furnace hot metal process (to feed EAF’s). He also advanced the use of hematite concentrates produced from reclaimed iron ore tailings in Minnesota for use in pelletizing in Mexico.
7. Blast furnace process control, optimization and lining life extension – in his experience at Bethlehem Steel and later consulting globally in BF operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Belgium, Italy, Russia, China, etc, he proposed and implemented improved operating practices, computer data acquisition & control systems, refractory and cooling system improvements, burdening schemes; in 1998 he received the Iron & Steel Society T. L. Joseph Award for lifetime achievements in ironmaking technology and practices.
8. Reducing reductant and energy consumption in ironmaking – his efforts here included: advancing granulated coal injection at Bethlehem Steel by proposing a research program with Federal government funding to demonstrate granulated coal injection using North American coals, advocating “co-injection” practices whereby coal and natural gas are injected together, quantifying the benefits of improved coking coals and coke properties on blast furnace energy and reductant consumption, modeling the use of H2 as an injectant, developing the Fuel Injection lecture at the McMaster U Blast Furnace Ironmaking Course and lecturing on the “Role of Coke in the Blast Furnace” at the McMaster U Cokemaking Course.
9. Advancing use of ore-based metallics in EAF Steelmaking – through the IIMA and his consulting activities, he has promoted the use of ore based metallics(DRI, direct reduced iron, HBI, hot briquetted iron and merchant pig iron in EAF steelmaking; these have included demonstrating the value-in-use of these materials, evaluating processes and projects to produce DRI, HBI and pig iron, expanding the production of DR grade pellets and utilization of lump ore and making presentations at international venues on ore based metallics process economics.
10. Professional society and educational activities – Dr. Poveromo is a Distinguished Member of AIST as he was elected by the predecessor Iron & Steel Society (ISS) in 1995 where his citation noted long standing contributions to ISS Continuing Education Courses. He was the only person to serve as Chair of two (of four) Divisions of ISS: Process Technology and Ironmaking and continues to serve on the AIST Ironmaking and Direct Reduction Ironmaking (DRI) Committees. He was a founding member of the AIST DRI Committee. Dr. Poveromo has presented seminars and short courses at SME Meetings in Duluth, Mn and globally at conference venues in Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and South Africa. He lectures bi-annually at the McMaster U Cokemaking and Blast Furnace Courses and also has served on a number of Ph.D. dissertation committees globally. He is also an active member of SME (Society of Mining Engineers) and co-authored chapters on Agglomeration and Iron Ore Beneficiation in SME texts.

• Organizing Chairman – AIST Advanced Technology Symposia: Scrap Supplements & Alternative Ironmaking: Baltimore, Oct. 2004, Nov. 2008, and Oct. 2012
• Plenary Lecturer – 5th International Congress on Science and Technology of Ironmaking, Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Oct. 2012
• Special Member – IIMA (International Iron Metallics Assoc., formerly HBIA (Hot Briquetted Iron Assoc., March 2009
• Honorary Chairman, COREM Pelletizing Symposium, Quebec City, June 2008
• Plenary Lecturer – 4th International Congress on Science and Technology of Ironmaking, Osaka, Japan, Nov. 2006
• Keynote Paper, "The Evolution of Ironmaking", Sohn International Symposium on Advanced Processing of Metals, San Diego, Aug. 2006
• Keynote Paper "Raw Material Challenges for Blast Furnace and Direct Reduction Ironmaking", 5th IAS Ironmaking Conference, November 2005, San Nicolas, Argentina
• John Chipman Award, 2000, Process Technology Division, Iron & Steel Society, "for best paper in ISS publications"
• T. L. Joseph Award, ISS, 1998, for sustained contributions to ironmaking technology
• Organizing Chair, International Program Committee: Second International Congress on Science and Technology of Ironmaking, Toronto, Canada, Mar. 1998
• Invited Keynote Lecture, 27th Annual McMaster Symposium on Iron and Steelmaking, "Use of Models to Optimize Blast Furnace Operations", May 1999
• Invited Lecturer - Symposium for 250th Anniversary of Jernkontoret, Stockholm, Sweden, June, 1997
• Distinguished Member of Iron & Steel Society, AIME, 1994 -
• Keynote Lecturer - First International Congress on Science and Technology of Ironmaking, Sendai, Japan, June 1994
• John Farrell Award, 1986, for service as Chairman of Process Technology, Div. and Director of Iron & Steel Society
• John Chipman Award, 1984, Process Technology Division, Iron & Steel Society, "for best paper in ISS publications"
• J. E. Johnson Award, 1981, Ironmaking Division, Iron & Steel Society, "for improved furnace charging methods"
• Through these activities, he has contributed significantly to the advancement of raw materials and ironmaking process technology, engineering and economics.

CHAIRS

Florian Kongoli
FLOGEN Technologies
Canada [Bio]

Paul Butterworth
CRU International
Singapore, [Bio]

Biography of Paul Butterworth

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Paul is Research Manager, Steel Raw Materials at CRU and Country Manager of CRU’s Singapore office.
Paul joined CRU in 2012 and has overall responsibility for CRU's analysis of the steel raw materials markets, including iron ore, metallurgical coal, metallurgical coke and ferroalloys, as well as thermal coal. Paul is also responsible for the Steel team cost services, which currently include a comprehensive suite of cost models covering iron ore mining, coal mining, manganese ore mining, steelmaking and ferroalloys operations worldwide. Paul has 29 years' experience in the steel industry, having worked for Tata Steel, Corus, British Steel and the International Iron and Steel Institute (now the WorldSteel Association) in a range of strategic, business development, planning and technical roles. Paul holds an MBA from Warwick Business School, a Ph.D in Theoretical Chemistry and a BSc. Honours Chemistry degree from Manchester University. He is a Chartered Chemist and Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (CChem MRSC).

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Maarten Geerdes
Geerdes Advies
Netherlands, [Bio]

Biography of Maarten Geerdes

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Dr. Maarten Geerdes (1951) holds a PhD in Chemistry and a Master in Economics. He started working as a technical manager of blast furnace operation in the Hoogovens Steelworks in Ijmuiden, The Netherlands in 1983. He served as a director Ironmaking and technical consultant in many steel plants, for instance in Mexico, USA and Argentina. Since 2002 self-employed consultant for blast furnace operational improvement and special situations like blow-in, blow-down and chill recovery. Recent years among others in China, Brazil, South-Korea, Russia and Ukraine.
He is the main author of “Modern Blast Furnace Ironmaking, an introduction”, that is worldwide used for training of blast furnace operators and technical staff. The book is frequently updated; the 3rd edition was published in April 2015. The book has been translated in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian and Dutch. He has authored numerous articles about high coal injection, coal-gas-coinjection, alkali, melting of the ferrous burden and the role of coke in the Blast Furnace.
He frequently teaches in ironmaking courses(Brasil, China, Canada, India, Germany, Belgium, in plant training).
He received in 2018 the Thomas L. Joseph award by the American AIST for lifelong contributions to the field of Ironmaking

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Yakov Gordon
Technical Director - Ironmaking, Hatch
Canada, [Bio]

Biography of Yakov Gordon

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Yakov graduated as a Metallurgical Engineer from the Ural State Technical University in Russia, where he also obtained his Ph.D and Doctor of Technical Science Degrees. Professor of Metallurgical Furnaces Department from 1974 to 1995, Consultant at Hatch Iron & Steel business unit from 1996 up to now, where he holds his current position as Technical Director - Ironmaking.
The principal areas of Yakov’s engineering, consulting and research work are blast furnaces, coke making, alternative ironmaking, sintering and pelletizing. Yakov is the author of 2 monographs, 7 student text books (in Russian), over 200 papers, and 27 International Patents.
In 2015 Yakov was awarded by AIST’s “Howe Memorial Lecture Award” for his contribution to development and practical implementation of new innovative technologies and technical solutions into Iron & Steel Industry.
In 2019 Yakov became AIST’s “Distinguished Member and Fellow”.

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Michael Grant
Air Liquide
Germany, [Bio]

Biography of Michael Grant

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Mike started his career working in blast furnace ironmaking for Inland Steel (now ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor East). There, he spent almost 10 years working in R&D, Operations Technology and blast furnace operations until end of 1997. His work spanned the fields of blast furnace ironmaking from raw materials specifications to stove and PCI performance to tactical blast furnace operations. He joined Air Liquide to develop and implement gas and carbon injection technologies for the electric arc furnace (EAF).
In 2001, when Air Liquide purchased American Combustion (ACI), he began working for ACI designing and commissioning oxygen injection systems for EAFs. During this time, he has designed, successfully commissioned and optimized gas injection systems on more than 30 electric arc furnaces worldwide. In 2007, he was transferred to the Air Liquide Research labs just outside Paris to work on EAF and Blast Furnace topics – most notably the European Commission ULCOS project (Ultra Low CO2 Steelmaking) where, for five years, he was a member of the European Commission team developing and analyzing the Top Gas Recycling Blast Furnace along with its operating procedures.
Mike is an author of 56 published technical articles and 6 patents. Each year for the past 22 years, he has been an invited lecturer at the AIST Modern Electric Furnace Steelmaking Training Seminar in the United States. He is based in Frankfurt, Germany as part of the Strategy and Marketing team at Air Liquide Large Industries World Business Line. His present title is "International Senior Expert, Ironmaking and EAF Steelmaking".

www.flogen.org/

Liming Lu
CSIRO
Australia, [Bio]

Biography of Liming Lu

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Dr Liming Lu is currently a Senior Principal Scientist leading CSIRO research and development in iron ore agglomeration and high temperature behaviour of resultant agglomerates during the blast furnace and other alternative ironmaking processes. He obtained his PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, in 2001. After finishing his PhD, Liming took an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research of Canda) to continiue his research at the Unversity of Toronto, Canada. Liming joined CSIRO as a Senior Scientist in March 2005 to lead the CSIRO R and D in iron ore sintering. Before joining CSIRO, Liming had worked as a research academic at the University of Queensland, Australia, for two and half years to develop novel grain refiners for magnesium alloys and eutectic modifiers for aluminiun casting alloys. Liming was the recipient of Josef S Kapitan Award from American Iron and Steel Society in 2003 and the Sawamura Award from the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan in 2018. He is also a Technical Expert of ISO Technical Committee TC102/SC3, which is reviewing and developing international standards for the physical testing of iron ore. Liming has more than 30 years R and D experience in the characterisation, processing and evaluation of iron ores, metallurgical coals and molten alloys. His research interests cover: high temperature processing of minerals and wastes, thermodynamics and kinetics of pyrometallurgical processes, environmental issues in pyrometallurgical processes and alloy solidification.
Liming is the editor of a 20-Chapter book entitled “Iron ore – mineralogy, processing and environmental sustainability” published by Elsevier in 2015 and the lead editor of a special issue on the biomass materials for metallurgical applications for Advances in Materials Science and Engineering published by Hindawi in 2018. He has also published 9 book chapters and more than 136 papers including 6 invited review papers in Chemosphere, JOM, ISIJ International and other leading international journals. Over the years, he was invited to present plenary/keynote papers at 9 international conferences and has given invited lectures at more than 30 leading international research organizations, universities, and steel and mining companies. Liming has served as a member of Review Board for Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A and Minerals, a member of Editorial Board for Ironmaking and Steelmaking, and an Advisory Board member of ISIJ International. He was appointed as an Adjunct Professor by Central South University in 2011, Kunming University of Science and Technology in 2012, Liaoning University of Science and Technology in 2014 and Shanghai University in 2017.

www.flogen.org/

Dennis Lu
ArcelorMittal
USA, [Bio]

Biography of Dennis Lu

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Dennis Lu was born and raised in China. He received his Bachelor of Science in Ironmaking and Steelmaking at Northeast University in Shenyang, Liaoning, China in 1983 at a time when China started the “open door” policy. He was selected by the Chinese government to study overseas. In 1985, he pursued his graduate studies under the supervision of Dr. Wei-Kao Lu and Dr. Gordon Irons at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Dennis received his Ph. D. in Materials Science and Engineering at McMaster University in 1992.
Dennis worked for one year at Hoogovens Technical Services (now Danieli-Corus) in Burlington, Ontario as a technical specialist and project manager for blast furnace reline, consulting and engineering support for steel plants in USA and Canada.
Dennis spent the next 14 years as an operation technology engineer and manager in ironmaking and steelmaking at USS/Kobe Steel in Lorain, OH; USS-Gary Works in Gary, IN; and AM–IHW in East Chicago, IN, USA. He provided the technical support and guidance for the daily iron and steel productions at these three plants.
For the last 11 years, Dennis has been a senior and then a lead research engineer, Raw Materials and Ironmaking, Global R&D, ArcelorMittal, East Chicago, IN, USA. Combining his industrial experiences and research background, Dennis applies and transfers technical knowledge to the benefit of plant operations and provides feedback from the real-world industrial processes to inspire and to involve in the development and deployment of new technologies for the ArcelorMittal blast furnaces. Dennis is a teacher in blast furnace ironmaking at ArcelorMittal University and an invited lecturer at the biannual McMaster University Blast Furnace Ironmaking Course.

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Koji Saito
Nippon Steel & Sumitomo...
Japan, [Bio]

Biography of Koji Saito

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Koji Saito, Fellow, Research & Development, Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metal Corporation, holds M.S. and PhD degrees in Physical Chemistry from Nagoya Institute of Technology and Tohoku University, respectively. His career on iron making technology including coal characterization using NMR, coking process research, and blast furnace technology started in Yawata works of Nippon Steel Corporation in 1984. Then, he worked for a national project to develop a new cokes process, called SCOPE21 process in Japan, after he stayed at RWTH-Aachen University in Germany, as a visiting researcher, in order to develop in-situ NMR imaging system in 1997. He mainly clarified the mechanism of rapid heating effects using his original in-situ NMR imaging system in SCOPE21 projects. After this project, he started research management work as general manager of Iron making R&D division and also COURSE 50 projects as sub Project Leader. He was general manager in head of iron making technology division of Nippon Steel Sumitomo metal Corp. He was Project Leader of COURSE 50 until 2015. He has at least 100 papers and 70 patents.
<Winning a prize >
1993 Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists, Paper prize
1999 Japan Institute of Energy, Paper prize
2000 Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, Paper prize
2004 Japan Institute of Energy progressive prize (section of art and science)
2009 Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, Paper prize
2011 @Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, Shiraishi memorial Prize

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Hong Yong Sohn
U. of Utah
USA, [Bio]

Biography of Hong Yong Sohn

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Hong Yong Sohn received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Seoul National University in Korea and his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1970 from the University of California at Berkeley. After working as a Research Engineer at Du Pont’s Engineering Technology Laboratory, he started teaching at the University of Utah in 1974, currently holding the rank of Distinguished Professor.
Over his long career, Professor Sohn’s research interests have covered a wide range of subjects, such as Development of a Novel Flash Ironmaking; Plasma-Assisted Chemical Synthesis of Inorganic Nanomaterials; Metallurgical Process Engineering including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modeling; Nonferrous metal production; and Synthesis and Processing of Ceramic and Intermetallic Compounds. He coauthored a seminal monograph in the field, “Gas-Solid Reactions,” which has been a standard reference on the subject for more than 40 years. Professor Sohn is currently rewriting the book with a new title of “Fluid-Solid Reactions” incorporating the massive amount of work he has continued on the topic. A major accomplishment by Professor Sohn in this field is the formulation of a rate law called “Sohn’s Law of Additive Reaction Times” that governs the reactions between solids and fluids that are affected by mass transfer processes.
Professor Sohn’s work has been recognized through various awards, which include the 2014 Educator Award from TMS; the Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award, 2012 from the University of Utah; Billiton Gold Medal, 2012 from The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in the U.K.; the TMS 2009 Fellow Award “in recognition of outstanding contribution to the practice of metallurgical/materials science and technology” from The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS); the 2001 James Douglas Gold Medal Award (“for leadership and outstanding contributions in research and education of nonferrous extractive metallurgy and for work related to the modeling of gas-solid reactors and the development of novel solvent extraction systems”) from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME); Fellow Award from the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, 1998; the TMS Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal Award, 1993; the TMS Extractive Metallurgy Lecturer Award (1990 “in recognition as an outstanding scientific leader in the field of nonferrous extraction and processing metallurgy”); the TMS Extraction and Processing Science Award (1990, 1994, 1999 and 2007, respectively, for analysis of flash furnace shaft; modeling of in situ solution mining operations; synthesis of ultrafine particles of intermetallic compounds; and analysis of the influence of chemical equilibrium on fluid-solid reaction rates and the falsification of activation energy, making him the first four time winner of this award); the Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer (1983); and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar Award (1977). In 2006, TMS honored Dr. Sohn by holding the “Sohn International Symposium on Advanced Processing of Metals and Materials”.
Among the numerous plenary and keynote lectures Professor Sohn has given, he delivered a talk on “Novel Ironmaking Technology with Low Energy Requirement and CO2 Emission” to the U.S. Congress on April 21, 2008. He has also served as a technical consultant to many industrial companies, government units, and research institutes. Dr. Sohn has authored or co-authored 4 monographs, 26 book chapters, 5 patents, some 570 papers, co-edited 17 books, and delivered some 240 invited lectures. He has also served as a Director of TMS-AIME.

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Tateo Usui
Osaka U.
Japan, [Bio]

Biography of Tateo Usui

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Tateo Usui, 73, was graduated from Osaka University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Metallurgy, in March, 1969 and graduated from Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Department of Metallurgy, in March, 1974 and at the same time he got the degree of Doctor of Engineering from Osaka University. He started his career as Assistant Professor from April, 1974, in the same Department, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka University. He became full Professor in November, 1995. From 2007 till 2010, he invited “Nippon Steel Collaboration Laboratory on Ironmaking Process.” After his retirement from Osaka University in March, 2010, the title of Emeritus Professor of Osaka University was given to Prof. Usui. He started his second career as full Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Fukui University of Technology from April, 2010 till March, 2012. From April, 2012 till March, 2017, the title of Guest Professor in Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University was given to Prof. Usui. He started his third career as Visiting Professor, School of Mines, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Brazil, from September, 2013 until now.
Over the span of 50 years, his research activities focused primarily on Ironmaking including reduction behavior and kinetic analyses of iron ore agglomerates (pellets and sinter), pre-reduction behavior of iron oxide pellets with coal carbonization gas for an Iron Bath Smelting Reduction Process and rate enhancement by using semi-char and semi-charcoal for carbon composite pellets; as well as experimental and thermodynamical or kinetic studies on environmental problems (CO2 and Dioxin emissions), refining of steel, elimination of tramp elements from used steel, and reduction of hydrocarbon volume in carburizing process of solid steel.
Prof. Usui was granted numerous prestigious awards for his outstanding research and academic activities such as Prize of JSME from JSME (The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers) in 1977; Nishiyama Commemorative Prize (Scientific Achievement Commemorative Prize) from ISIJ (The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan) in 1986; Gakujutsu Kouseki Prize (Scientific Achievement Merit Prize) from ISIJ in 2006, Tanigawa – Harris Prize for High Temperature Metal Processing from JIM (The Japan Institute of Metals and Materials) in 2011; Yamaoka Prize (Joint Research Prize for distinguished Group Research Activities) from ISIJ, 6 times, in 1986, 1993, 1995, 2003, and 2013 as a member and in 2007 as the chairman; Nishiyama Medal (Academic Prize) from ISIJ and Fray International Sustainability Award from FLOGEN Star OUTREACH in March and October, 2019, respectively. Most recently, Prof. Usui received the Iron and Steel Merit Award from ISIJ on “Fundamental Studies on Ironmaking and Steel Processing in Consideration of Resources and Environment” in March, 2020. In addition, he has held distinguished Chairman positions leading the research group in ISIJ on Iron Ore Sintering Process for Limonite Ore from 2000 till 2004, and heading the organizing and steering committees of 4th ICSTI (International Congress on the Science and Technology of Ironmaking) in 2006 and ISISD (International Symposium on Ironmaking for Sustainable Development) in 2010 - both were organized by ISIJ and co-organized by Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University. Especially, 4th ICSTI was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Currently, he is a Steering Committee Member for an Ironmaking Forum of High Temperature Process Division in ISIJ and an Advisory Board Member for “The Research and Development of Ironmaking Process Using Ferro-coke,” NEDO, Japan.

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