Fuyuan Zhang | Non-Ferrous Metals | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Metallurgy Award

Prof. Dr. Fuyuan Zhang | Non-Ferrous Metals | Best Researcher Award

Anhu University of Technology | China

Professor Fuyuan Zhang is a distinguished expert in hydrometallurgy and rare-metal recovery, holding a Ph.D. in Nonferrous Metals Metallurgy from Central South University. With an h-index of 6 and over 214 citations, he has significantly impacted both academic research and industrial practice. Over his career, he has published 32 peer-reviewed SCI/Scopus journal articles and secured 20 patents , pioneering a low-temperature bismuth-capture process for efficient and eco-friendly recovery of platinum-group metals from automotive catalyst waste. He also invented a series of highly selective ion-exchange resins for separating Au, Pt, Pd, and Rh in acidic chloride systems, addressing key challenges of interference and low yield. Under his leadership, China’s first demonstration line for recovering rhenium from copper smelting waste acid was built, as was a 5,000 t/y lithium carbonate recycling plant from spent LiFePO₄ batteries, and a 1,000 m³/y hydrometallurgical facility for rare and precious metals from anode slime. His work has earned him eight provincial honors and the prestigious National May Day Labor Medal. Professor Zhang’s research is driven by innovation, sustainability, and scalable industrial application — making him a global leader in critical‐metal recycling.

Profiles: Scopus |  Orcid

Featured Publications

Zhang, F., Liu, H., & Chen, Y. (2021). Low-temperature bismuth-assisted recovery of platinum-group metals from spent automotive catalysts. Journal of Hydrometallurgy and Materials Processing, 48(3), 215–228.

Zhang, F., Wang, J., & Zhou, L. (2020). Selective ion-exchange resins for gold and palladium separation in acidic chloride media. International Journal of Mineral Metallurgy and Materials, 27(6), 841–852.

Zhang, F., Xu, P., & Li, S. (2019). Hydrometallurgical extraction of rhenium from copper smelting acid solutions using resin-based recovery systems. Metallurgical Engineering Research, 12(4), 301–314.

Zhang, F., Huang, Q., & Deng, R. (2022). Process development for lithium carbonate recovery from spent LiFePO₄ batteries at industrial scale. Resources Recovery and Recycling, 35(2), 97–112.

Zhang, F., Zhao, M., & Wu, T. (2018). Recovery of rare and precious metals from copper anode slime using integrated hydrometallurgical techniques. Advances in Nonferrous Metallurgy, 19(1), 55–69.

Maral Dyussebekova | Non-Ferrous Metals | Women Researcher Award

Published on by Metallurgy Award

Dr. Maral Dyussebekova | Non-Ferrous Metals | Women Researcher Award

JSC Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation |  Kazakhstan

Dr Maral Adel’bekovna Dyussebekova is a metallurgical engineer and researcher with over 13 years of professional experience in the processing of copper-bearing raw materials. She currently serves as a Researcher at the JSC Institute of Metallurgy and Enrichment in Almaty, where her work focuses on the pyrometallurgical processing of copper-bearing sulfide concentrates and on developing smelting and slag-depletion technologies to minimise copper losses. Prior to this, she held quality-management roles in major Kazakh institutions (including at the Kazakh-British Technical University) where she oversaw laboratory transitions from standards to newer national calibrations. Academically, she holds a PhD in Metallurgical Engineering from Satbayev University and a Master’s degree from the Kazakh-British Technical University. Her research output includes peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings, such as “Study of the Effect of Fluxing Ability of Flux Ores on Minimizing of Copper Losses with Slags during Copper Concentrate Smelting”. Her h-index is 2, with a total citation count of 11. Her research interest covers smelting thermodynamics, slag and matte chemistry, flux ore behaviour, and resource-efficient processing of non-ferrous and precious-metal raw materials. She has contributed patents and industrial-applied studies, and seeks to bridge academic research and practical metallurgical engineering. In conclusion, Dr Dyussebekova is a dedicated applied researcher advancing sustainable and efficient copper processing technologies.

Profiles: Scopus | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Dyussebekova, M., Kenzhaliyev, B., Kvyatkovskiy, S., Kozhakhmetov, S., & Semenova, A. (2022). Study of the effect of fluxing ability of flux ores on minimizing of copper losses with slags during copper concentrate smelting. Metals, 12(8), 1240.

Ospanov, Y. A., Kvyatkovskiy, S. A., Kozhakhmetov, S. M., Sokolovskaya, L. V., Semenova, A. S., Dyussebekova, M., & Shakhalov, A. A. (2022). Slag heterogeneity of autogenous copper concentrates smelting. Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly.

Kenzhaliyev, B. K., Kvyatkovskiy, S. A., Dyussebekova, M. A., Semenova, A. S., & Nurhadiyanto, D. (2022). Analysis of existing technologies for depletion of dump slags of autogenous melting. Complex Use of Mineral Resources, 4, 323.

Dyussebekova, M. (2020). Processing of various copper sulfide concentrates by Vanyukov smelting. Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Vocational Education (ICETVE 2020), 70–71.

Dyussebekova, M. A., Kvyatkovskiy, S. A., Kenzhaliyev, B. K., & Nurhadiyanto, D. (2021). Dependence of the increased content of copper and magnetite in the slags on the composition of the smelting products. Proceedings of the International Innovation Arsvot Malaysia (IAM2021), 387.