A new working group to promote rare earth steel applications was launched at a recent meeting in Beijing, marking a coordinated push to advance technological innovation and large-scale application of rare earth steel in China, the China Iron and Steel Association announced on Thursday.

Hosted by the association on Jan 6, the meeting was co-organized by Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union Co Ltd, Shanghai University and the metallurgical science and technology development center, an independently accounted public institution under the CISA.

The newly formed working group includes two sub-groups focusing on rare earth steel for engineering equipment and for building structures, bringing together participants from government bodies, steelmakers, rare earth producers, universities and research institutes.

The initiative is expected to promote a more systematic and standardized approach to rare earth steel application, accelerating the conversion of China's rare earth resource advantages into industrial strengths.

Gan Yong, head of the expert group and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said China's position as both a major steel producer and a major holder of rare earth resources makes the integration of the two strategically significant.

"While the mechanisms of rare earth elements in steel remain complex, China has accumulated extensive application data," Gan said, adding that future efforts should focus on low-cost, large-scale application demonstrations and stable series of steel products, potentially paving the way for a second generation of low-cost, high-performance "super steel".

Huang Xiaowei, deputy head of the expert group and also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said major national projects have listed the application of rare earth elements in steel as a key research area, with recent breakthroughs achieved in low-activity cerium-iron-based alloy modifier, rare earth steel for high-end equipment and corrosion-resistant structural steel.

She suggested strengthening closer collaboration among industry, academia and research institutions, as well as across upstream and downstream segments of the industrial chain, better mobilizing financial and human resources, and stepping up applied basic research and key technology development.

She also called for developing specialized series of rare earth steel products for different application scenarios and formulating relevant product standards and application guidelines, to promote the large-scale use of high-abundance rare earth elements in steel and support the industry's high-quality development.

yinmingyue@chinadaily.com.cn