Editorial for Science and Technology of Ironmaking and Steelmaking (IIT Bombay)

Iron and Steel is a global industry with about 70% of the production concentrated in Asia. Steel production from iron ore is energy intensive and emits approximately double the amount of carbon dioxide per ton of steel produced. On the other hand, the carbon dioxide emission intensity for steel production from recycled scrap is only about 0.35 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of steel. Hence, crude steel production through the scrap route is gaining momentum. However, the steel production from iron ore is expected to keep growing as many countries have their per capita steel consumption well below the world average. This calls for the global steel community to explore the possibilities of modifying the existing processes as well as to look for novel process routes that can make steel production more sustainable. India, being the second largest steel producer in the world now, has drawn a roadmap to drive the steel industry towards the net zero target by 2070. Steel plants, globally, including those in India, are actively looking for sustainable solutions. Further, digital tools such as AI/ML are also being leveraged to improve the existing steel production practices. Keeping these in focus, the 4th International Conference on Science and Technology of Ironmaking and Steelmaking (STIS-2022) was organized by the Centre of Excellence in Steel Technology (CoEST), Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay at IIT Bombay from 13th–16th December 2022. The conference was supported by the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) and the Association of Iron and Steel Technology, USA (AIST). This series of conferences, an Indian initiative, provides a platform for the global steel community consisting of academicians, researchers, industrial experts, technology providers, students, etc. to discuss and deliberate on innovative approaches and solutions.

There were 115 presentations during the conference. In addition, two panel discussions were also organized: 1) Digitalization in the steel industry and 2) Decarbonization of the steel industry. The conference had an active participation from the academia as well as the steel industry. The presentation topics spanned from agglomeration of iron ore to continuous casting. The authors submitted short manuscripts which were reviewed by a pool of leading researchers in the field. The reviewed short manuscripts were published in the conference proceedings. Based on the reviewers’ feedback, a few authors were invited to submit full manuscripts to be considered for publication in the Steel Research International. These manuscripts were reviewed and considered for publication in the Steel Research International as per the standard reviewing practice of the journal. We thank all the reviewers for their critical reviews that helped in choosing the articles for this special issue.

We are delighted to inform the readers that thirteen original research articles have been accepted for publication in this special issue. The articles cover topics from the characteristics and behavior of iron ore during induration and reduction to the continuous casting of liquid steel. Authors have used a variety of experimental, characterization, modeling, and data analysis tools to gain insights into the ironmaking and steelmaking processes. srin.202400200 demonstrates that the presence of gangue particles in the hematite ore significantly influences hematite decomposition temperature which is an important parameter for designing the induration cycle for iron ore pellets. srin.202300669 explores the possibility of using larger-sized ore particles to produce iron ore pellets. This practice can potentially reduce energy consumption for the milling process. There are a couple of articles (srin.202300757 and srin.202300703) that combine physical and numerical modeling to improve the design of shaft reactors for DRI production. srin.202300788 reports the utilization of machine learning techniques to improve the productivity of the blast furnace under the required constraints of hot metal composition, and temperature at a minimum fuel rate. The DRI-EAF route is report the most feasible option to reduce CO₂ emissions in the near term. A numerical model is reported in srin.202300696 to simulate laboratory-scale EAF conditions. The effect of scrap quality on arcing requirements and its effect on the refractory is also reported in this work. Rotary Hearth Furnace is a coal-based ironmaking used for producing DRI. srin.202300596 proposes that modified RHF-EAF process performs better than BF-BOF process in terms of two sustainability parameters – exergy efficiency and CO₂ emission. srin.202400030 explores the use of limestone for partial replacement of lime which reduces the calcination load in a lime kiln. There are two articles focused on ladle refining. srin.202300711 uses ANSYS based model to compare the effect of different stirring practices on fluid flow during ladle refining. They report that the mixing is the fastest in electromagnetically stirred ladles with a traveling magnetic field. srin.202300680 reports an increase in the titanium recovery by optimizing the FeTi wire feed rate and argon flow rate from two porous plugs at the bottom of the ladle. srin.202400707 utilizes physical modeling coupled with CFD simulation to optimize argon flow rate in the shroud to avoid reoxidation the shroud and slag entrainment from the tundish. Design and understanding of slag and mold fluxes are very important for steel processing. srin.202300701 presents a fundamental study elaborating the role of electrical properties of steelmaking slags on the mass transport. srin.202300889 explores potential of designing CaF₂ free fluxes for fusion welding of steel. Thus, the articles in this special issue present a combination of experimental, modeling, and plant scale work toward improving the ironmaking and steelmaking process using modern physical and digital tools.

We hope that the readers of the Steel Research International will find this special issue interesting and encourage them to work coherently with the focus on sustainable iron and steel making for the global community. We take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of Prof. Somnath Basu and Prof. Manish Pande as co-conveners of the conference. We also thank the organizing team and sponsors for a successful conference.

Best Regards,

N. N. Viswanathan

Deepoo Kumar

Centre of Excellence in Steel Technology,

Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, IIT Bombay