Smelting Process of Metals

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2026 | Viewed by 244

Special Issue Editors

Institute for Carbon Neutrality, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: clean-steel low-carbon smelting technology; CO2 resource utilization; recycling of solid waste as resources; mineralization mechanism of steel slag
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: new technologies for clean steel production; thermodynamic properties of metallurgical melts; physical and chemical aspects of clean utilization of solid waste resources; physical and chemical analyses of efficient vanadium and titanium resource utilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Smelting remains the cornerstone of extractive metallurgy, transforming ores into pure metals through high-temperature chemical reduction. This complex physicochemical process underpins global industrial supply chains; however, it faces escalating demands for efficiency, sustainability, and adaptability to evolving raw materials. This Special Issue of Metals invites cutting-edge research addressing the multifaceted challenges and innovations in the field of metal smelting.

The topics of interest of this Special Issue include, but are not limited, to the following:

  • Fundamental Mechanisms: Reaction kinetics, slag chemistry, impurity behavior, and phase equilibria in pyrometallurgical systems.
  • Energy and Emissions: Strategies for carbon footprint reduction (e.g., hydrogen-based reduction and electrification), waste heat recovery, and emission control technologies.
  • Process Optimization: AI-driven process control, refractory material advancements, and reactor design innovations for base metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb) and ferrous alloys.
  • Circular Economy: Smelting of complex secondary resources (e.g., e-waste and tailings) and urban mining integration.
  • Emerging Techniques: Novel approaches in flash smelting, suspension roasting, and hybrid hydrometallurgical–pyrometallurgical flowsheets.

This Special Issue aims to consolidate breakthroughs that enhance smelting’s economic viability while also aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Submissions combining experimental validation, computational modeling (CFD and thermodynamic simulations), and industrial case studies are particularly encouraged.

We expect scholars and researchers from academic and industrial circles around the world to contribute to this Special Issue.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Chao Feng
Dr. Jie Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pyrometallurgy
  • smelting optimization
  • decarbonization
  • slag chemistry
  • reaction kinetics
  • circular economy (metals)
  • AI process control
  • emission control

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1060 KB  
Article
Optimization of Nitrogen Injection via Top-Blown O2–N2 Mixed Gas in BOF Steelmaking for Enhanced Rebar Performance
by Mingwei Tu, Chao Feng, Tao Lin, Rong Zhu, Huapeng Yang, Guangsheng Wei and Jie Zhang
Metals 2025, 15(9), 960; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15090960 - 29 Aug 2025
Viewed by 56
Abstract
Rebar is a critical material in concrete constructions like high-rise buildings and seismic-resistant structures. To enhance its properties, microalloying with nitrogen is employed, but traditional methods using micro alloy additives such as vanadium (FeV), niobium (FeNb), titanium (FeTi), and vanadium nitride (VN) face [...] Read more.
Rebar is a critical material in concrete constructions like high-rise buildings and seismic-resistant structures. To enhance its properties, microalloying with nitrogen is employed, but traditional methods using micro alloy additives such as vanadium (FeV), niobium (FeNb), titanium (FeTi), and vanadium nitride (VN) face issues of high costs, reduced purity, and difficulty in controlling molten steel composition. This article presents a novel approach of injecting top-blown O2–N2 mixed gas to increase nitrogen content efficiently. Experiments simulated HRB400 steel samples, varying N2 ratios (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%), temperatures (1500 °C, 1550 °C, 1600 °C), and blowing times (1, 2, 3 min). Results show that optimized parameters enable nitrogen content adjustment from 50 to 104 ppm, with nitrogen utilization improved to 5.4%. This method utilizes inexpensive N2 gas, reduces impurities, and provides precise control, offering a cost-effective and sustainable solution for high-performance steel production by replacing costly alloys and meeting nitrogen requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smelting Process of Metals)
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