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By Takahiko Okura, Satoshi Okano, Hiromichi Takebe

"Fine zinc concentrates tend to become sticky when roasted in a fluidized-bed reactor. The oxidation of high-purity ZnS powders and ZnS concentrates with different particle sizes were studied in terms of phase changes and particle morphologies. The sample materials were directly oxidized to ZnO in a roasting process performed over 700°C. Zinc oxide particles with diameters less than 0.5 ìðé formed at 700°C; the particle size increased by grain growth at 900°C. The coarse ZnS concentrate formed the oxysulfate ZnO2ZnS04 when roasted at 700°C; the sulfate transformed to ZnO at higher temperature.1. IntroductionRoasting is an important step in zinc extractive metallurgy because more than 80% of the world's zinc is produced from zinc sulfide concentrates using the roast-leach-electrowinning [1,2]. Currently, zinc concentrates with a finer particle size distribution are used to enhance recovery rate. However, the finer zinc concentrates tend to produce a sticky calcine in a fluidized-bed roaster [3].The factors that affect products in a fluidized-bed roaster include particle size, contaminant, O2 and SO2 partial pressures, and the feeding method of ore to the roaster. This study examined roasting behavior of high-purity ZnS powders and ZnS concentrates with different particle sizes. The phase changes and particle morphologies of the calcine samples producted from theZnS powders were studied."

Jan 1, 2012

By Yuanbo Zhang, Daoyuan Zhang, Youlian Zhou, Guanghui Li, Tao Jiang

"Modified humic acid (MHA) has been developed by Central South University (CSU) and authorized in China. It has been reported that MHA is an effective binder for oxidized pellets prepared from specularite concentrates. In this research, effects of MHA binder on roasting behaviors of the specularite pellets are studied. MHA is an organic binder, containing much carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, etc. During the roasting, MHA can provide some heat because of combustion of hydrocarbon, which is beneficial for the recrystallization of Fe2O3 in the specularite pellets at high temperature. Simultaneously, part of hematite particles within the pellets are firstly reduced to magnetite, then, magnetite is oxidized into secondary hematite, which obviously improves the roasting performance of specularite pellets.IntroductionOxidized pellets have been widely used in steel production as a kind of high quality burden for blast furnace ironmaking [1]. In recent years, production of oxidized pellets is developing very fast. Therefore, the supply of high quality magnetite concentrates, which is the most suitable for pellet production, becomes scarce. It is imperative to pursue new alternative materials for oxidized pellet production [2]. Specularite concentrates have attracted widespread attention due to the advantages of high total Fe grade and low impurity content. However, due to the poor ballability and firing performance, specularite has not yet been widely applied into pellet production [3, 4]."

Jan 1, 2012

By Hartmut Rossel

VAW aluminium AG has built a "Recycling-Technikum" (Recycling Research Centre) to add a new arm to the company's Corporate Research and Development Department. The Recycling Research Centre, a pilot plant for scientific research, has been in operation since September 1993. These state-of-the-art facilities allow the investigation and optimisation of recycling techniques in 'a global way and in detail. Research is concentrated on the unit operations - processing, melting and waste-gas purification - with the available installations making it possible to compare different alternative process combinations on a 100-kg scale. One of the main targets of VAW research is the development of recycling techniques for packaging. The paper presents an approach to recover the aluminium contained in flexible packaging materials using an integrated melting and waste-gas purification system.

Jan 1, 1995

By Omid Marzoughi

In this research, both the kinetics and the mechanisms of the roasting of a sphalerite concentrate from the Bafgh mining complex in Iran were investigated. The oxidation process was performed in a muffle furnace in air and the effects of time and temperature on the degree of oxidation of the zinc sulfide sample were quantitatively studied. The experimental data were fitted to the shrinking core model. In the temperature range of 650–800 °C, the rate-controlling step was the chemical reaction between the zinc sulfide and oxygen with an activation energy of 103 kJ mol−1. On the other hand, in the temperature range of 850–950 °C, the rate-controlling step was oxygen diffusion with an activation energy of 50 kJ mol−1. Also, the roasting process was studied using thermogravimetric (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTGA) techniques.

By Shaik Jeelani, Mahesh Hosur, Esperidiana A. B. Moura, Rejane D. Campos, Emilia S. M. Seo, Kerry Kirwan, Francisco R. V. Díaz, Maria Sotenko

The use of natural fibers with polymeric resins has spread rapidly. In order to improve the mechanical properties of material, in this work, two variables were used: mercerization and electron beam irradiation. This paper describes the preparation and characterization of biocomposites that were prepared in two different routes using green high density polyethylene (HDPE) and Brazil nut pod fiber (BNPF): the first was to irradiate the composite with 150 kGy and the second was to irradiate the matrix with 15 kGy followed by composite preparation. In both cases mercerized and non-mercerized fibers were used. The irradiation process was carried out using a 1.5 MeV electron beam accelerator, at room temperature and in the presence of air. The material was characterized to evaluate the effect of treatment on mechanical properties of material.

Jan 1, 2015

By Z. Smieszek, J. Botor, Z. Miczkowski, S. Sobierajski

"From 1978, the direct process for the smelting of chalcocite concentrates in a flash furnace by the Outokumpu method has been applied at the Glogów II copper smelter. The chemical composition of these concentrates make it necessary to control the process very strictly. In this paper, the method for controlling and measuring the main technological parameters of the copper production by flash smelting is being presented. It includes the determination of the chemical composition of the concentrate, its grain structure, the temperature of liquid products of the process, oxygen content in process gases, as well as lead concentration in copper and copper concentration in slag.The main process parameters are determined from the mass and energy balances. The relations between parameters, such as an effect of grain structure of a concentrate on oxygen and oil consumption, and dependence of chemical composition of a concentrate on capacity and products quality are discussed. 1. IntroductionThe Polish copper concentrates, as most concentrates occurring worldwide, contain from 18% to 30% Cu, and less sulphur (7-11%) and iron (2-5%). The main copper-bearing mineral contained in the concentrates is chalcocite, while bornite and chalcopyrite are present in smaller quantities. Moreover, the organic carbon (5-7.5%), arsenic (0.05-0.3%) and lead (1.2-3.0%) are also contained in the concentrates. The gangue consists mainly of silica, aluminosilicates, calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Their proportions make the addition of slag-forming agents unnecessary.The composition of Polish concentrates, especially their low iron content, allows their application in the direct flash smelting process for blister copper production. Low sulphur content is the factor which determines the necessity of oxygen application in this process."

Jan 1, 1989

By Gus Van Weert

The cost of oxygen is a major and common factor in the hydrometallurgical processes developed or proposed tor the oxidation of refractory pyrites. This cost involves charges for the generation and the transfer of the 02 to the mineral slurry. Bio-oxidation faces considerable design demands which require large scale equipment to be resolved. Nitric acid assisted oxidation offers low cost oxygen units; this method of pyrite oxidation deserves a closer look for large scale plants treating pyritic gold ores and concentrates.

Jan 1, 1990

By Orion Ciftja, Arjan Ciftja

"The directional solidification method is routinely used to produce polycrystalline silicon, an important material for the photovoltaic (PV) industry. The form of the solid-liquid interface during solidification has considerable influence on the material quality. The dissolved impurities and the solid inclusions above the solidification front affect the interface and may cause interface breakdown. We investigate the effects of pushing and engulfment of silicon carbide (SiC) particles by the solidification front during directional solidification of silicon. We employ a 12kg directional-crystallization furnace to cast the molten silicon. We use upgraded metallurgical grade silicon with low concentrations of metallic impurities (< 5ppm) and a high content of carbon (700 ppm) present as SiC particles. Samples from the cast polycrystalline silicon ingots are investigated by light microscope. The expected interaction of impurities with the solidification front is investigated theoretically using empirical models. The data obtained from the models are in good agreement with the experimental results.IntroductionDirectional solidification is a well-known method for producing multi-crystalline silicon for the PV industry. In this method a planar front, achieved during solidification, results in a clearly defined interface between the solid and the liquid phase. The solubility of major impurities is higher in the liquid than in the solid phase. Therefore, directional solidification will work as a purification process where the impurities are retained in the liquid phase [1]. Apart from the process of removing the dissolved elements in molten silicon, the directional solidification plays also another role. It will interact with the solid particles that may be present in the melt. When a liquid containing an insoluble particle is solidified, three distinct interaction phenomena are observed: engulfment of particles, continuous pushing, and entrapment [2]. The term “engulfment” is used to describe incorporation of a particle by a planar interface, and the term “entrapment” is used for particle incorporation by a cellular or dendritic interface (see Figure 1) [3]."

Jan 1, 2014

By Richard D. Hagni

Ore microscopy is a useful technique to detect and study the ore minerals that are associated with sediment-hosted and volcanic-hosted deposits of finely disseminated gold and silver. Ore microscopy can be used to determine the: 1) precious metal-bearing minerals in some ores, 2) associated ore minerals that may form geochemical exploration halos, 3) character of iron sulfide grains, 4) extent of sulfide oxidation, 5) character of oxidized iron minerals, 6) character of original sulfide grains from a study of the hypogene and supergene oxidized ores, 7) relative time of oxidation, 8) character of organic matter, 9) minerals that may consume excessive amounts of cyanide solution, 10) extent of silicification and silica encapsulation, and 11) possibility of salting.

Jan 1, 1987

By Hongmin Zhu, Qiuyu Wang, Shuqiang Jiao, Guojing Hu

"The equilibrium between titanium ions and metal titanium was investigated in fluoride-chloride molten salt. The electrochemical properties of titanium ions in fluoride-chloride were studied on a molybdenum electrode by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). The equilibrium constant of the equilibrium between titanium ions and metal Ti was calculated in KCI-NaCl- 2.5wt %K2 Tif 6 at the temperature of 1073K.IntroductionTitanium, the ninth most abundant element in the earth's crust, is endowed with high strength, low density, excellent flexibility, strong spring back characteristics, high-temperature performance, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. These characteristics make titanium eminently suitable to be used in aerospace, marine industries, and harsh chemical environments. Although it has many excellent properties, the application of titanium in industry was limited by its high-cost. Therefore, many methods have been investigated for producing high-purity titanium at low cost. Electrolysis, involving the extraction and preparation of pure metal from ore using an electrolytic process, is considered a promising method for titanium metallurgy. Many studies have focused on the electrochemical behaviour and electrodeposition of titanium in molten chloride, fluoride, and chloride-fluoride electrolytes (1-IOJ. The electroreduction mechanism of Ti3+ ions in molten alkali chlorides has previously been studied by several workers. Two reduction steps, Ti3+ -Ti2+ -Ti, have been observed in various molten alkali chlorides [IJ. One reduction step, Ti3+ -Ti, has been observed in alkali fluoride molten salts l21. The behaviour of Ti4+ in fluoride or chloride-fluoride molten salts has also been investigated in the literature; it was proposed that the reduction of Ti4+ ions in the molten salts proceeded in a two step process: Ti4+-Ti3+-Ti l3l or a three step process: Ti4+ -Ti3+ -Ti2+-Ti ri. 4l Indeed, the stability of the titanium oxidation states depends on the bath composition l5l. The valence state was Ti2+ in alkali chloride melts, which was a lower oxidation state and correspondingly, in alkali fluoride melts, the higher oxidation states ofTi4+ and Til+ were more stable.The aim of the present work is to explore the effect of F/Cl atomic ratio on the equilibrium between titanium ions and metal titanium in fluoride-chloride at the temperature of 1073K. The electrochemical properties of titanium ions in fluoride-chloride were studied on a molybdenum electrode by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). The solubility product of the equilibrium between titanium ions and metal Ti was calculated."

Jan 1, 2012

By Wei Yin, Bin Xu, Qian Li, Yongbin Yang, Tao Jiang

Copper anode slime is an increasingly significant resource for precious metals such as Au, Ag and Pd. The extraction of Au, Ag and Pd from decopperized anode slime by different pretreatments and different lixiviants including cyanide, chloride, thiourea and thiosulfate have been investigated. When oxidizing roasting pretreatment was carried out under the conditions of roasting time 120min and temperature 625 ℃, the removal ratios of S and Sb could reach 82.18% and 98.52%, respectively. And the following alkaline leaching of calcine could result in the dissolution of 46.40% Cu and 98.48% Pb. The optima leaching ratios of Au, Ag and Pd reached 99.48%, 97.69%, 94.79% by cyanide leaching, and 95.01%, 79.84%, 96.59% by chloride leaching, and about 95.21%, 95.66%, 48.79% by thiourea/thiosulfate leaching.

Jan 1, 2015

By Erik Olsson, Gunilla Hyllander, Stefan Schuster, Lena Sundqvist Ökvist, Maria Lundgren, Michael Hensmann, Olavi Antila

"Residual materials from the integrated steel plant itself or other sources often contain valuable compounds of e.g. C and Fe. Dust and sludge have to be agglomerated to be able to recycle to the blast furnace (BF) via top-charging. By injection of the materials, preparation methods in terms of e.g. drying and/or screening only, can be used. Alternative carbon materials (ACM) in terms of BF dust and sludge have been successfully injected up to levels of 60 kg/tHM in the LK.AB Experimental Blast Furnace (LKAB EBF®). Efficiency in recovery of valuable compounds as well as the behavior of undesired elements have been evaluated and are discussed.IntroductionTraditionally, recycling of steel in-plant fines is made via the sinter plant and blast furnace route. Steel plants operating with 100% pellet as ferrous burden and have no sinter plant. There are limited areas for land fill and costs are caused for preparation of landfills and deposit fees. Very fine paniculate dusts or sludges cause decreased productivity and increased coke rate in the sinter plant, and therefore other ways for recycling must be considered. Injecting them into the BF could be an economically and technically feasible alternative. Additionally, as the materials contain valuable compounds of e.g. C and Fe."

Jan 1, 2012

By M. W. Kennedy

Prediction of the thermal duties of copper coolers in freeze lined furnaces is challenging. Where copper coolers are immersed in liquid slag the heat transfer is often defined by a natural convection cell immediately adjacent to the wall, in the absence of other factors producing forced convection. Slag coolers are typically not fully immersed, slag temperature, liquidus and superheat can vary, and bath levels may change significantly with batch tapping, leading to substantial variations in radiation heat fluxes. Radiation heat transfer is discussed with reference to the non-obvious impact of slag liquidus on radiation losses in the exposed cooler sections. Reference is made to literature and the results of analytical and FEM models.

By Tingyao Liu, Lihui Han, Qing Liu, Bao Wang, Teng Yang, Yong Sheng

This paper mainly investigates the mass transfer phenomena of rare-earth concentrate from leaching process in Rushton stirred tank reactor with rotate speed of 100-600 rpm. In the research, a certain amount of sphere particles with 50-450 μm in diameter is treated as the mineral particles. Comparison of laboratory experiment data with numerical simulation is performed. The results show that the critical impeller speed for complete dispersion is 300 rpm. And the maximum value of turbulence kinetic energy appeared 15 mm away from paddle, where the mixing time is decreased 55% and 80%, respectively, when mineral particles are injected into stirred tank through one or four filling ports. Moreover, with mixing process going on, the numbers of particles near the paddle region accounts for as much as 58% of the total amount. Meanwhile, following the particle diameter increasing, the particle concentration of the upper part of stirred tank reactor is increased.

Jan 1, 2015

By Marcelo Mourao, Adolfo Pillihuaman, Alberto Nogueira, Cyro Takano

"The self-reduction is an alternative and promising process for production of pig iron because offers decisive benefits such as enhancing the reaction kinetic with decrease in fuel consumption and C02 emissions. The self-reduction mixture of iron ore fines, carbonaceous reducer and additives for slag forming components, without agglomeration, was tested in a laboratory rotary kiln. The additives for slag were defined for presenting two different estimated liquidus temperatures (1623 Kand 1773 K) to verify the effect of these temperatures on the iron-carbon nuggets coalescence process. These mixtures were tested at 1673 and 1773 Kin an experimental rotary kiln. After reduction-melting and coalescence processes the samples were disaggregated and the iron nuggets were classified by size. It was considered that nuggets larger than 7,93mm would be a good reference for coalescence index. Low liquidus temperature slag presented 37% of this larger fraction against only 13.5% for high liquidus temperature one. The low liquidus temperature slag would facilitate contact between the particles of iron-carbon in a rotary kiln, enhancing the coalescence.IntroductionThe slag composition usually depends on the reducer ash composition, the ore gangue, the binder composition and any fluxing material [l], and the mechanism of carbon transportation in slag that contains iron oxide reducible by carbon can be explained by the oxide reduction and the metal carburization. During carbon transportation, the carburized particle is transported to slag-metal interphases by the gravity effect, being assimilated by the metallic phase [2]. When the slag's iron oxide comes in contact with the solid carbon, it is immediately reduced, forming Fe particles and CO bubbles as it is shown in the figure l(a). The Fe particles are carburized by carbon particles; they are liquefied simultaneously in the carbon-slag interphase. The Fe-C liquid particles are transported from the slag-carbon interphase to iron-slag interphase as a result of slag flow, based on the surface tension difference (Marangoni effect), figure l(b). The Fe-C liquid particles coalesce on the iron surface and the carbon is immediately diffused in the iron as it is shown in figure l(c). The reduced iron is carburized continuously by repeated sequences [3]."

Jan 1, 2013

By K. Twite, K. Mujinga, J-M. Dereydt, P. Louis

"GECAMINES is a large mining concern and the world's leading cobalt producer having some of the richest cobalt deposits in the world. Cobalt is associated in the ore with copper as sulphides and oxides and in some locations with nickel too. Specific hydrometallurgical processes have been developed by GECAMINES which had done an important contribution to the development of the cobalt hydrometallurgy.In the Shituru plant, cobalt is obtained from an unique in-pulp electrolysis process, while in Lullu, cobalt is electrolyzed in a clear acidic solution giving a purer deposit. In the beginning of 1996 Shituru started the treatment of mixed Cu-Co-Ni Shinkolobwe hydrates obtained as by-product of an uranium solvent extraction plant. A typical analysis of this feedstock is: 2% Cu, 8% Co and 4% Ni.The nickel sulfide depolarized cementation process developed previously by GECAMINES was inefficient to treat such a high level of nickel contamination and it was decided to produce alloyed Cobalt-Nickel cathodes in the Shituru tankhouse.As anticipated from laboratory tests as previous studies and publications, a lower Ni/Co in the deposit was obtained compared to the Ni/Co ratio solution, despite the nickel reversible electrochemical potential is somewhat higher than the one of cobalt (-0.25 V vs -0.28 V).In this paper, the process flow-sheet and production data are given. Cobalt alloy with 5 - 20 % Ni was obtained at a production level of 300 t per month. The process developed is a new contribution to cobalt hydrometallurgy."

Jan 1, 1997

By Motoyasu Sato

Highly pure pig irons were produced in a multimode microwave reactor from powdered iron ores with carbon as a reducing agent in the nitrogen atmosphere. The grains in compacted powder absorb microwave energy selectively. Microwave-matter interaction creates thermal non-equilibrium state microscopically and enhances chemical reactions and the phase mixing at the grain boundaries very rapidly. The visible light spectroscopic techniques was used to monitor the progress of the reactions. Up to 650°C, the heated powders radiate the continuous spectrum of blackbody emission. The small non-equilibrium hot spots rise, move and finally burst in to brighter light emitting from all over the surface at 650°C. CN molecules and Fe (I) atoms were identified in the recorded spectrum. These bursts are similar to the ?ignition propagation? normally observed in chemical reactions. The line spectra originated from CO molecules have not been detected yet. The solid-solid reaction could be expected between the iron oxides and carbon to produce CO2 directly. A loss in the sample weight was accelerated during the excess-emission. These are the clear evidence that microwaves cause thermally non-equilibrium state and accelerate reduction process. The reduction of iron ore is completed at 1380°C and relatively very pure pig iron was produced. It should be noted that the impurity level of Mg, S, Si, P and Ti is only 5-10% of what is found in the pig irons produced by modern conventional blast furnaces in the steel industries. The necessary amount of carbon needed was 1/2 compared to conventional blast furnace to produce the unit weight of steel, if we applied renewable energy or nuclear power for the microwave excitations.

Jan 1, 2006

By Cang Daqiang, Bai Hao, Li Ning, Liu Xueting, Lu Xin, Zhao Lihua, Li Hongxu, Wei Wei

"Based on the principle of carbon balance, a model was built to calculate C02 emissions of each process and correspondingly the total course of production in iron and steel making. The data from a typical integrated steelworks in China was applied in the model. The results show that the BF and coking process account for the most emissions. Generally, C02 emissions in integrated steelworks depend on three factors, resources utilization efficiency, energy utilization efficiency and energy consumption structure, which were considered in an equation in this paper. Especially, General Emission Factor (GEF) was proposed to assess the relationship between C02 emissions and energy consumption. The results show that, higher GEF will result in more C02 emissions with the same energy consumption and in iron and steel making, the optimization of energy structure and development of eco-industrial park both have significant benefit on the carbon reduction.IntroductionThe Global Warming resulting from the increase of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), especially C02, in the atmosphere has become the main reason of global climate change, and the carbon reduction is one of the most important ways for the sustainable development [1]. The iron and steel making is a manufacturing industry based on iron-coal high temperature chemical process, in which plenty of C02 is emitted. According to the data from IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in 2001, iron and steel making emitted about 650 million tons ofC02 every year, which is the fourth largest industry of the fossil energy consumption [2]. According to the data from EEA (European Enviromnent Agency) in 2006, iron and steel making is the largest source ofC02 emissions, which accounted for about 18% of the total C02 emissions in European manufacturing industry [3].It is estimated that the application of various well developed energy-saving technology, such as Coke Dry Quenching (CDQ), Top Pressure Recovery Turbine (TRT) and Coal Moisture Control (CMC), can make the C02 emissions reduced by 0.5%-3% in iron and steel making, and the further C02 emissions reduction can be achieved if more new energy saving technology is applied, such as sintering plant heat recovery, electricity generation with steam generated from converter and the various by-products gas and the hydrogen making process from COG[4,5]. In addition, the application of membrane separation technology is well expected in iron and steel making [6]. For example, the application of C02 Capture and Storage (CCS) in blast furnace combined with the Pure Oxygen Top Gas Recycled BF (TGRBF) technology can reduce the C02 ennss10ns greatly by about 50%-60% [4].That is, as a kind of C02 end-treatment technology, CCS applied with other technology of C02 recovery would be more meaningful. Actually, reduction of the C02 emissions by changing the structure of energy consumption and raw materials with new process of iron and steel making, such as direct reduction process or smelting reduction process [4,7,8], is the trend of ferrous metallurgical engineering, which is regarded as a kind of source-treatment technology. In this sense, source-treatment technology is more pivotal for the solution of carbon reduction in the future than the current popular energy saving technology. Hence, it is necessary to build the C02 emissions model based on the iron and steel making process and evaluate the relationship between the energy saving and C02 emission reduction."

Jan 1, 2012

By Kampe. S. L., Baker. Andrew H., Tony Zahrah

"Experimental heats of reaction for the formation of several Al3Ti + TiB2 intermetallic composite formulations have been determined utilizing bomb calorimetry. To overcome the kinetic constraints and achieve ignition in these formulations, a boron (B)/potassium nitrate (KNO3) initiation aid was incorporated within the blended reactant compact. The heat contribution from the initiation aid was regressed to provide estimates of the heat of reaction of the nominal formulations. Powder x-ray diffraction was utilized to identify the products of the reaction and discern any differences between the predicted equilibrium products of the formulation and the actual products.IntroductionReaction synthesis is a technique for the creation of ceramics, intermetallics, and in-situ composite materials [1]. Reaction synthesis is defined by its self, propagating mechanism, where the energy liberated from a localized reaction within a green powder compact is enough to carry the bulk reaction to completion. Achieving a self, propagating state can be achieved in variations of two primary methods of initiation: uniform volumetric heating and directional propagation [2].Uniform volumetric heating involves subjecting a green compact of the unreacted formulation to uniform heating in a furnace to encourage diffusion to initiate the reaction (Figure 1a) throughout the bulk material. Directional propagation utilizes a point heat source at one section of a green compact of unreacted formulation (Figure 1b). The localized exothermic reaction at one point in the compact then initiates the reaction in the section of the compact adjacent to it and fully propagates throughout the entire compact until completion. Initiation of the localized reaction is generally associated with the melting of the constituent with the lowest melting point, with instantaneous initiation of the reaction usually occurring close to that melting point [1]. This melting point can be high in some systems of interest, such as the titanium (Ti) and boron (B) system in equation 1:"

Jan 1, 2011

By Ken-ichi Miyazawa

A Center of Excellence (COE) titled the Creation of Nature-Guided Materials Processing, called Nature COE, has been established at Nagoya University. In the Nature COE, a new field of material research is being developed through learning the laws of nature, namely, methods of attaining ?appearance of the maximum function under the minimum substance and energy consumption?, which the nature and living organisms have acquired through their evolution in long period. As one of the specific features, an ?Open Cluster Program? was originated for promoting the researches conducted by young researchers and Ph.D. students with those in and out of the university and also for fostering them, together with such educational programs for Ph.D. students as the research incentive, the oversea training and the international lodging seminar programs. The Open Cluster Program has been found to be effective for fostering of young researchers and students, for promoting their researches, for gathering researchers and knowledge from the world and for propagating the research fruits. Through conducting these programs, world-highest intelligent fruits and a gathering of young minds to lead the new field are expected. In this COE, the researches are conducted on (1) materials used for living bodies, (2) mimicking structures which nature or living bodies are forming and (3) materials processing by mimicking processes to form the structures observed in the nature or the living bodies. These researches are conducted by four groups to extend the processes observed in the natural world to a new type of processing that is thoroughly rationalized by plunging a scalpel of engineering, and to establish a new academic field of materials science and engineering.

Jan 1, 2006