July 9, 2025
Young researcher determined to drive further advancements in sustainable manufacturing
Jangho Jo grew up in a small rural town in Korea, inspired by his father, a dedicated mechanical engineer who contributed to Korea's rapid industrialisation during the transformative period known as the "Miracle of the Han River." Due to the challenges brought on by global economic crises, shrinking domestic industries, and the need for competitiveness in an increasingly globalised world, Jangho’s passion for engineering and innovation continued to grow.
In 2023, Jangho enrolled in his current PhD journey at the , under the guidance of Project Leaders Soonho Lee and Arash Tahmasebi. Working in collaboration with , his research is part of the Steel Research Hub’s Program 1: Process Integration and Sustainability. This program is strongly aligned with Jangho’s personal aspirations, providing him the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy, whilst working alongside experts with extensive experience and knowledge in the ironmaking and cokemaking fields.
Jangho’s doctoral research explores the use of waste plastics such as shredded plastic milk bottles and high-density polyethylene as alternative feedstocks in the cokemaking process. The aim is to improve the properties of the plastic layer formed during the production of coke, an essential material required in current-day steelmaking. Early findings suggest that introducing plastics alters the intermediate structure of the cokemaking process, impacting oven performance and coke quality. The current focus is to understand the underlying microstructural and chemical changes to better explicate these mechanisms by using novel 3D micro-CT and micro-texture analysis techniques.
Jangho views his research as pioneering work in applied science, with the goal of seeing his innovations adopted in the industrial sector. He hopes his efforts will contribute and inspire further advancements to the circular economy by providing a pathway to divert post-consumer plastics away from landfill to instead be reused as feedstock in a steel manufacturing process. The outcomes of his work have potential to directly benefit BlueScope Steel and the broader Australian steel industry by advancing renewable ironmaking methods and creating new pathways for recycling domestic plastic waste materials.
After completing his PhD, Jangho aims to continue collaborating with BlueScope Steel and explore adjacent fields, deepening his expertise in ironmaking and continuing to drive positive advances in the industry.