PhD Students Represent the University of Newcastle at Europe’s Largest Iron and Steel Making Conference

Thursday, 31 August 2023

This year in June, Düsseldorf hosted the largest iron and steel conference in Europe, the European Steel Technology and Application Days (ESTAD). This is a flagship conference for the iron and steel industry and brings together steel manufacturers, suppliers, users, universities, research institutes and plant engineers.

This year, amid the international push for greener steel making processes, ESTAD was dominated by topics discussing hydrogen-based steel production technologies.

Joining the extensive line up of speakers this year were one postdoctoral researcher and three PhD Candidates from The University of Newcastle’s Centre for Ironmaking Materials Research, who were given the opportunity to present on their research in the low carbon ironmaking process. This opportunity to showcase their research to an international audience provided a valuable experience to build credibility and refine research and potential impact by connecting with other researchers and collect valuable feedback and insights.

Here is what the candidates had to say about this opportunity.

Irfan Barustan

“I am interested in investigating the optimal sintering quality for blast furnace with hydrogen injection and how can we produce that sinter quality by adjusting the sintering process.My research work fits into the low-carbon ironmaking process which is one of the hot issues at the moment in the steel industry all over the world. I was able to talk to several researchers from international universities and industry during the conference, including BHP and its customers. This opens an opportunity for future collaboration.”

Ai Wang

“During one of our Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) projects, we developed a state-of-art image processing technique to quantify the bonding quality between two carbon phase in the coke: reactive maceral derived components (RMDC) and inert derived maceral components (IMDC). This technique improves the prediction of coke strength and is also beneficial in providing technical support for coal blending. We presented this research in the ESTAD conference.

The big take-away message is that In Europe, the reduction of CO₂ emissions has become an imperative which already affects how the cokemaking and steelmaking plants design their operation procedures. Industrial personnel are actively engaged in low-carbon green steelmaking. Reducing the cost of green steelmaking is equally important in ensuring the financial survival of coke and steelmaking plants, so collaboration between researchers and industry is more important than ever.

Another big learning moment from this trip is that the industrial scale is much larger than the lab scale and a slight improvement in numbers in lab may profoundly affect the industry. So our research activities in the lab can have an impact.”

Edward Bissaker

“Due to the complexity and scale of the Steel and Ironmaking sector, attending ESTAD provides essential contextual background for my research. It helps me to understand the interplay between other vital research areas, industry pressures and changing economic environments. Understanding these factors is essential to providing solutions through my PhD that can contribute and have a positive impact on the industry. The big take away for me was the sector's scale and how quickly technologies are developing to meet changing environmental and economic pressures such as decarbonisation. The international reputation of CIMR was also evident, with many industry representatives and researchers making an introduction because of a past connection with CIMR or the University of Newcastle.”

Behnaz Rahmatmand

“The steel industry is currently facing huge challenges, and it is on the way to becoming a pioneer to achieve climate neutrality in its production routes. The METEC & 6th ESTAD gives participants the opportunity to learn about the newest technologies in all fields of steel, especially about the way to green steelmaking.

The conference was an invaluable opportunity to stay updated on the latest research, emerging trends, and technological advancements in the steel industry, specifically sustainable and low carbon steelmaking. In addition, the conferences provided an excellent platform to network with experts, practitioners, and researchers from various parts of the world. Engaging with peers and experts has enabled me to broaden my professional network, fostering potential collaborations and partnerships that could benefit our ongoing and future projects.”

L to R; Irfan Barustan, Ai Wang, Edward Bissaker, Behnaz Rahmatmand from the Centre for Ironmaking Materials Research at the University of Newcastle. L to R; Irfan Barustan, Ai Wang, Edward Bissaker, Behnaz Rahmatmand from the Centre for Ironmaking Materials Research at the University of Newcastle.

Tata Steel Visit

The group were also awarded the opportunity for a site visit at Tata Steel in Ijmuiden (Netherlands). Tata Steel is a global steel company actively involved in the development and promotion of green steel initiatives and low carbon technologies achieved through research and development.

The visit to Tata Steel included a research discussion with the R&D team, as well as a site visit where the candidates saw some of the innovations the Tata group is implementing to help overcome the challenge reducing CO2 emissions for the industry. The tour included seeing the operation of the blast furnace, coke oven plant, pilot plant (coke oven and sintering), and metallurgical laboratory for Ironmaking.

“CIMR has a history of collaboration with Tata Steel, one of Europe's largest steel manufacturers. This visit allowed us to present and discuss our research with members of Tata Steel's research and development team, who provided valuable insights into important aspects of the large-scale applicability of the various technologies. This visit has provided avenues for future collaboration and future visits to Tata Steel.,” said Edward Bissaker.

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