On April 9–10, the 2026 National Ironmaking Production Technology Conference and Ironmaking Academic Annual Meeting, organized by the Chinese Society for Metals (CSM) and the Ironmaking Branch of the Chinese Society for Metals, was grandly held in Hefei, Anhui with the theme of "Technological Innovation Empowers Ironmaking, Low-Carbon Intelligence Leads the Future." The conference received over 120 papers, with 522 representatives from more than 200 domestic and international organizations gathering to discuss the high-quality development of ironmaking. Among them, the paper "Process and Advantage Analysis of HIsmelt Smelting Reduction Technology," authored by the Hydrogen Metallurgy Project Development Department of Shandong Province Metallurgical Engineering Co., Ltd. (SDM), passed expert review and was included in the conference proceedings.

SDM was invited to participate in this conference, with Zhang Xiaofeng, a staff member from the Hydrogen Metallurgy Project Development Department of SDM, delivering a special report titled "Technological Progress and Application Prospects of HIsmelt Smelting Reduction Ironmaking." The report provided a detailed introduction to the innovative development of HIsmelt smelting reduction ironmaking technology, as well as the contributions and achievements made by SDM in the application of HIsmelt in recent years. As an authorized engineering technical service provider for HIsmelt smelting reduction ironmaking technology and a strategic partner of Luli Steel, SDM actively forwards the application of this technology in the metallurgical field, leveraging its mature market promotion system. HIsmelt technology has gained widespread recognition from industry experts due to its significant advantages, including strong adaptability to raw material & fuel, outstanding environmental benefits, low energy consumption levels, and excellent product quality. To date, SDM has provided high-end consulting services to dozens of key domestic and international enterprises. The detailed design for the HIsmelt smelting reduction ironmaking unit in the Xingtai Steel Transformation, Upgrading, Relocation, and Renovation Project, which is currently under construction and progressing vigorously, is nearing completion.

The report shares an overview and progress of SDM in the field of technological innovation and R&D for HIsmelt, including collaborative theoretical and simulation studies with institutions such as Northeastern University, as well as R&D work such as the industrial pilot project for the fluidized bed in cooperation with Luli Steel.

The report envisions diversified application scenarios for HIsmelt technology. In the future, the innovative "HIsmelt + electric arc furnace" smelting model will help address the industry challenge of harmful element accumulation in scrap and support the high-quality development of premium and special steel enterprises. Moving forward, SDM will continue to enhance the technological innovation, strengthen the research, promotion, and application of new metallurgical technologies, and advance the industrial application of HIsmelt technology across multiple industries and scenarios, contributing SDM's wisdom to building a green, intelligent, and efficient modern metallurgical system.