The "NISCO All-Factor Digital Production Operation and Intelligent Manufacturing Core Key Technology Innovation" project participated and completed by CISDI aims at the series of issues faced by steel enterprises in the process of digital transformation. It has researched and developed the prediction models for silicon and phosphorus content in molten iron, molten iron charging accuracy, real-time prediction of molten iron output, and intelligent prediction models of special furnace conditions, realizing the intelligent perception of the entire production scenario in the ironmaking area and integrated cluster management and control of pre-ironmaking processes. It has constructed a full-process digital twin from raw materials to finished products for steel enterprises, thereby achieving model-based, intelligent, and less-manned production across the entire process. Furthermore, it has provided a technologically advanced, mature, and reliable technology system that helps NISCO realize the significant improvement of production efficiency and the research and development of high-end products.

       The "Development and Application of High Degree-of-Freedom Precision Rolling Technology and Core Equipment for Ultra-Heavy Load Wire Rod Reducing and Sizing" project, led by CERI, based on the higher-level requirements of high-quality development of high-speed wire rods for product quality, small-batch customization, dimensional accuracy, and operating costs, has pioneered the "1+1+2" reducing and sizing process model and the high degree-of-freedom precision rolling technology with unified hole shapes, developed the reducing and sizing mill equipment featuring "high-load reducing + small-pitch sizing," and built a complete set of electrical control technology for reducing and sizing centered on high-rigidity rolling control and adaptive tension reconstruction control, realizing free reducing, precise sizing, and efficient and stable rolling. This provides reliable equipment support for low-temperature controlled rolling, effectively improving production flexibility, mill efficiency, product precision, and product yield. The project has successfully broken the long-term technological monopoly held by foreign countries in the field of reducing and sizing technology, making significant contributions to improving the wire rod production equipment and technological level in China.

        The "Development and Application of Dry Waste Heat Recovery Technology for Converter Flue Gas in a Wide Temperature Range (800°C−200°C)" project, led by CERI, is dedicated to advancing the ultimate energy efficiency project in the steel industry. Focusing on the long-standing challenge of recovering waste heat from converter flue gas in the temperature range of 800°C−200°C, the project has developed innovative explosion-proof, full waste heat dry recovery technology, high-temperature kindling capture technology, and flue dust control technology. Under the premise of ensuring safe, stable, and continuous production, these technologies enable reliable and efficient recovery of waste heat in the range of 800°C−200°C and have been successfully applied in production practices. The achievements have been implemented at Jianlong Xilin Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., resulting in an increase in steam recovery by over 40%, energy savings of 5 kgce per ton of steel, a profit of 10−15 yuan per ton of steel, and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 13.3 kg per ton of steel. The implementation of these achievements has significantly improved the energy efficiency indicators of the converter process, promoting the steel industry to achieve its "dual carbon" goals and sustainable high-quality development.

        The "Development and Application of Coking Technology for Collaborative Governance of Pollution Reduction and Carbon Emission Reduction" project, led by ACRE, aims at the prominent issues such as high NOx generation at the source of coke oven flue gas, high energy consumption in coking, short service life of coke oven bodies, and the inability of traditional desulfurization and denitrification processes to achieve simultaneous removal of multiple pollutants. To address these issues, new technologies, materials, processes, and equipment have been developed, including NOx source reduction control, low-energy coking, long-life and clean production of coke oven bodies, and efficient multi-pollutant removal through activated carbon denitrification. This has resulted in the integration of green and low-carbon coking technologies, offering significant advantages in pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction for coke ovens. The achievements have been successfully applied in 65 coking projects both domestically and internationally, with a total production capacity of 118 million tons, saving 714 million cubic meters of coke oven gas and 2.52 billion cubic meters of lean gas annually, and significantly improving the green and low-carbon level of the industry.

        The "Research and Application of Key Technologies for the Quality and Energy Recycling of Complex Solid Wastes in Metallurgy" project, led by CIE, aims at the challenges of difficult resource-based disposal of complex solid wastes in steel metallurgy and the lack of technology for large-scale consumption of social wastes in metallurgical processes. The project has proposed an overall technical route for quality and energy recycling, which involves targeted separation of complex solid waste components, efficient utilization of material and energy attributes, and full utilization of toxic attributes transformed into resource attributes. It has pioneered the technology of high-value preparation of metallurgical raw materials (fuels) from organic solid wastes, invented a low-cost and efficient separation technology for iron and zinc from organic/zinc-containing dust and sludge using a rotary kiln method, developed a process technology for recycling and utilizing complex solid wastes in steel production processes, and created core equipment for efficient separation, recovery, and utilization of valuable components from typical complex solid wastes. These technologies have been applied in multiple domestic steel, non-ferrous metallurgy, and environmental protection enterprises, making positive contributions to the green and sustainable development of the steel industry as well as the harmonious coexistence between steel enterprises and cities.

        The "Key Technologies for Intelligent, Efficient and Rapid Overhaul of Large Slab Continuous Casters" project, led by China MCC20, aims to achieve the overarching goal of energy conservation, environmental protection, and low carbon in the metallurgical industry. Targeting the challenges of high safety risks, long cycles, limited space, and difficulty in ensuring quality during major overhauls of continuous casters, it has pioneered intelligent, rapid, and precise adjustment technology for casting equipment, developed the modular updating technology for pouring equipment under limited space conditions, invented eco-friendly and efficient installation of medium pipelines based on BIM technology, and created rapid debugging technology for electrical systems that enhances control performance. These achievements have shortened the overhaul period of slab continuous casters by 16.7%. They have been applied to more than 30 continuous casting projects, including those of Baowu, and are significant for promoting the digitalization, intelligence, and green development of steel enterprises.

         The outstanding achievements of MCC in the Metallurgical Science and Technology Awards reflect the effective implementation of the MCC's strategic development positioning in scientific and technological work. MCC's scientific and technological work has always followed the strategic path of the "One Establishment, the Best and the Most Trusted, and Five Strengths" business system, continuously intensifying the layout and cultivation of major scientific and technological achievements. It vigorously promotes the deep integration of industry, university, and research, fully stimulates the vitality of research and innovation, comprehensively enhances the level of scientific and technological achievement summarization and transformation, and focuses on the goal of "One Establishment, the Best and the Most Trusted, and Five Strengths" to provide high-quality scientific and technological innovation impetus for driving the enterprise's further transformation and upgrading.

List of 2024 Metallurgical Science and Technology Award-Winning Projects of MCC