The city is centralized by the ethos of POSCO, and has earned its character from it – yet it isn’t a barren industrial site filled with furnaces and mills. While many of its attractions have been inspired by the steelmaker, Pohang maintains a unique identity of a beach town that uses industry to support its community.

A Storied Steelmaker’s Home

Pohang is home to one of the largest industrial companies in Korea, POSCO, and the POSCO Museum celebrates its legacy. After 4 years of planning and construction, the specialized museum opened its doors in 2003, allowing visitors to learn about steel and the company’s history in great detail.

Korea does not have many museums dedicated to individual companies, but the fact that POSCO has established one exhibits its importance to the national economy. Its history goes back almost 50 years, and the museum interlaces exhibitions of steel’s universal history with the company’s own.

Visitors can stroll down the hallways to learn about the origins of Korean steelmaking starting in the third century B.C., its uses of the metals in the Korean War and finally, to the founding of POSCO and the innovations that have come as a result of the company’s efforts.

It also houses the Samhwagoro, which is the first melting furnace in Korea. The museum is all-encompassing in the realm of steel’s development in Korea, incorporating the company’s impact on the country and eventually, worldwide.

Steel and Art Collide

We don’t necessarily associate steel with beauty, but through the Pohang Steel Art Festival, we are able to see the metal transform into aesthetic masterpieces.

There aren’t that many festivals dedicated to steel art – which makes the festival an interesting exception. Pohang is a city that is rooted in steel, in particular thanks to POSCO, and the festival serves as an emblem of its local culture. The steel art pieces that are showcased are usually incredibly grand and striking, made by artists from around the country.

The Pohang Steel Art Festival runs annually during a short period during the fall, and the exhibition is organized to form a sculpture park on the city’s edge. Visitors can visit this “Garden of Steel” at their own leisurely pace, and there’s usually an extensive schedule with related events, from art tours to craft classes, tied to the festival.

It’s an exhibition that caters to the entire community, so recreational and educational activities are available for both adults and children, in order for everyone to enjoy and appreciate the wondrous qualities of merging steel and art together.

Celebrating Community

Pohang is also frequently called the “City of Light and Fire”, so it’s no surprise that their yearly fireworks festival is one of the most noteworthy attractions. The Pohang International Fire and Light Festival takes place during the summer, so that everyone can view the beautiful sparks illuminating the city’s night sky.

The fireworks show and accompanying parade all are held at Yeongildae Beach over multiple days, and there is even a prize given to the top display during the festival. International fireworks companies from all around the world, including China, France, Poland, Italy and Canada, have all put on exciting shows to exhibit their cutting-edge fireworks, garnering large crowds into Pohang for this remarkable spectacle.

But the festival is not just about fireworks. There is much more for visitors to experience – water sports, street dance competitions, badminton tournaments and even traditional song and dance performances – bringing the city together for a lively midsummer gathering.

Seaside Marvels

Last but not least, there is the tucked-away gem known as Homigot, also known as the tiger’s tail of Korea, located on the easternmost edge of country. This area is particularly known for being the perfect place to observe a beautiful sunrise, as the sun rises the earliest in this part of the country.

The Sunrise Square in Homigot is considered the center of this unique area, and is also the venue for the Homigot Sunrise Festival. The festival, which started in 1999, invites millions of visitors to make wishes and resolutions while watching the first sunrise of the year.

It’s also home to one of the most famous national sculptures, the Hands of Harmony. Gigantic bronze installations of two hands reaching out from the earth and ocean are an awe-inspiring sight, and the sculptures are meant to represent unity and coexistence. Visitors can experience the glowing sunrise through the hands’ fingers, taking in the calming presence of the sun and the sea.

The tallest lighthouse in Korea is also based in Homigot, alongside the National Lighthouse Museum.

A City of Tradition and Industry

Steel shapes the city of Pohang, but it still is able to maintain a singular charm through its cultural attractions, rather than surrendering to the industrial nature of the crucial metal. It is a city that is able to thrive through building its own history alongside POSCO’s permeating presence, and also comes through as a bastion of Korea’s significant relationship with steel.

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In 2030, Mr. K picked up a container of fine black powder before going to work. Last night, on his way home, his automobile ran out of fuel, and the materials in this container will be used to refuel his car.

The substance he is carrying in his hand is steel powder, in nanometer (1/1,000,000,000 meter)-sized particles. Fuel made from metal may have only been thought to exist in stories, but in fact, research on ‘metal fuel’ is already in the process of becoming a reality.

Since thousands of years ago, mankind been able to use metal’s properties through burning. One example is the fireworks we use during celebrations, which are created by setting metal powder on fire mid-air. The concept of metal fuel is to use heat, light and explosive power, but for automobiles or power plants rather than just fireworks.

Metal actually has far more potential to act as a fuel than gases or liquids, as it produces much more heat from chemical reactions. For example, energy stored in 1L of LNG produces 22.2MJ (megajoules), but iron of the same volume produces 40.68MJ, and aluminum, 83.8MJ.

One of the well-known examples we use metal as fuel is for fireworks, which we ignite by setting fire on metal powder while it is in the air. Scientists want to use the heat and combustion energy generated during these types of reactions for running an automobile or a power plant.

There are two main ways to use metal as fuel for automobiles or power plants. The first is to set fire to metal when it is in the form of fine particles, and then have it react it with oxygen (4Al+3O₂→2Al₂O₃). The enormous amount of heat generated can be used to operate an engine.

Another way is to combine metal powder with water. Recall the experiment during your elementary school science class when you poured water onto a glittering sample of aluminum. Soon after, the mixture would start boiling over. For this highly reactive outcome, the aluminum had reacted to hydroxyl ions immediately when water came into contact with it (2Al+6H₂O→Al(OH)₃+3H₂).

This process generates hydrogen gas and heat. Hydrogen gas itself can be used as fuel (in the form of fuel cells), or, in other cases, the intense heat can operate an engine or turbine.

When the US army’s thermobaric weapon exploded, powerful shock waves were generated through an aluminum powder explosion, having the ability to destroy facilities or people.

Clean and convenient fuel – Overcoming its reluctant combustion with nanoscience

This is the biggest advantage of metal fuel. Neither of the two reaction formulas include carbon (C). This means it does not generate carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of climatic change. But this is not its only strength of; metal fuel is renewable. When you burn trees or coal, only unusable gray ashes remain, and other materials get carried away into the air. But when you burn metal fuel, you will get oxidized metal.

After separating oxygen from the oxidized metal through an additional process, you will get the same amount of metal you had before. You will never run out of fuel. Unlike renewable energy, like solar or wind power, you can also use it regardless of weather conditions. Another one of its great merits is that it can be imported and exported by cargo, with no need for installing a separate transmission network.

But using metal as fuel is easier said than done. First, the temperature needs to reach a certain level in order to set fire to the metal, which has an extremely high reactivity. Its high reactivity is, ironically, both its strength and its weakness as a fuel.

The principle of its low combustibility can be explained through this example: if you place pure metal in the air, it becomes rusty by reacting to oxygen and developing a thin layer (oxide coating) on its surface. You can burn metal when it comes into contact with an oxidizer like oxygen, but it interrupts the initial process.

This coating has a very high melting point normally: pure aluminum’s melting point is 660℃, but the oxide coating of aluminum has a melting point of around 2100℃. The burning temperature is not impossible to reach, but it is difficult to get it to that level due to stability and economic feasibility.

This is not the only problem. We still don’t know exactly which conditions produce the amount of firepower we need to safely produce fuel energy. We can burn very small metal particles easily, but the energy we obtain may be too little, or it may arouse the danger of explosion. However, if the particles are too big, they cannot be burnt easily. What we need to do technologically is to figure out the optimal particle size, mixture ratio, and content.

Another obstacle that inhibits the commercialization of metal fuel is that we don’t have the proper technology to stably supply it as needed. For example, when you drive a car, you can always start or stop the engine and drive to the desired speed at any time. This is possible because of the availability of the technology that exactly supplies fuel to the engine as needed.

Gas fuel can easily be controlled by a valve, and liquid fuel can be controlled with a spray. But in metal fuel, the amount is hard to be controlled due to cohesion, a unique property of its powdered form. Cohesion can be explained through imagining flour or powdered sugar forming a cluster. This is the real reason why previous plans attempted by many research institutes in order to develop an automobile steel have ended unsuccessfully.

Favorable conditions for producing electricity

Fortunately, however, several alternatives have been discovered as a result from foundational research on metal fuel. For example, you can easily burn pure metal powder by coating its surface with material that has a low melting point, such as nickel.

Nickel has a lower ignition temperature than aluminum, and reactions between metals generates heat, which in turn burns aluminum faster. (This metal reaction refers to the oxidation-reduction reactions that occur when metals with different ionization tendencies contact each other and have their electrons transferred.)

Recently, a collaborative research team consisting of two professors, Jeffrey Bergthorson and Samuel Goroshin, from McGill University’s mechanical engineering department in Canada, which is considered the world’s leaders in metal fuel research, has succeeded in producing the power equivalent to fossil fuel-powered engines with a heat engine using metal fuel they directly developed.

In the paper they published the ‘Applied Energy’ journal, the research team stated, “The first candidate that can be utilized for this purpose is steel”, and also that “Steel powder produced by steel manufacturers or chemical or electronic industries in the world can be used as fuel for automobiles.”

Results from experimenting with the combustion properties of various metals. Foundational research on metal fuel has finally reached its final step, and scientists are now researching into applying metal fuel to sources such as power plants.ⓒProf. Jeffrey Bergthorson of the mechanical engineering department at McGill University, Canada.

The concept map of an engine using metal fuel developed by Professors Jeffery Bergtorson and Samuel Goroshin of the mechanical engineering department at McGill University, Canada. The heat generated by this system is expected to be used to run an automobile or a home electricity generation system.ⓒSamuel Goroshin & Jeffrey Bergthorson (“Applied Energy” Journal)

Can we really have a car powered by steel in the future? Since metal is still more expensive than other fuel materials, it may not be able to replace every type of fuel. But in particular conditions where there is no oxygen, which is the most commonly used oxidizer, it may be successfully utilized to make electricity. For example, the metal powder in weapons from a supercavitation underwater vehicle can react to water and obtain its driving force. If we can develop technology to control this reaction, we may be able to get a new engine paradigm for a vessel that obtains its driving force by reacting metal powder to seawater.

Written by DongA Science reporter Ahyoung Woo

The opinions expressed in this POSCO Report piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of POSCO.

Celebrate the Radiant Science Behind Colorful Fireworks

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The beautiful fireworks at these events light up the sky in all shapes and colors, mesmerizing onlookers of all ages. However, there’s a whole lot more to pyrotechnic displays than their eye-catching aesthetics.

An Age-Old Tradition

Fireworks originated in ancient China in the form of firecrackers—explosives that were created by burning black powder inside bamboo stalks. Since then, firecrackers have become cultural symbols and are believed to be capable of warding off evil spirits thanks to their explosive sounds.

However, the colorful aerial firework we are most familiar with comes from Italy. Italian pyrotechnicians were the first to blend metal colorants and pyrotechnical mechanisms together, creating both visual and auditory entertainment for spectators.

Making Sparks Fly

There are at least five essential ingredients needed to produce pyrotechnical displays: metal colorants to produce various colors, fuel to detonate, an oxidizing agent to provide oxygen for fuel combustion, a chlorine compound to enhance colors and a binding agent to hold the compounds together.

Among its parts, the aerial shell in particular contains black powder and “stars” that are comprised of metal salt colorants. The ancient Chinese black powder formula used as fuel consists of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur. When this formula ignites, it releases hot gases that have enough power to launch the firework and detonate the colorful stars high in the sky.

A Metal for Every Color

The beautiful colors that aerial fireworks paint across the sky vary depending on their composition. Made of up finely ground metals, these compounds, also called pyrotechnic colorants, determine the color, brightness and intensity of the light produced.

The colorants in fireworks are essentially metal salts that burn and release energy in the form of light. Each metal element corresponds to a particular wavelength of light when it burns, which is what humans see as visible electromagnetic light. These metal elements each emit specific amounts of energy that is characteristic of the element.

For example, a copper compound creates a burst of blue while calcium emits an orange tone. The chart below shows which metal element is used to produce each color of firework.

To obtain the most vivid display of color, the firework ingredients must be fresh and well put together. It is also essential for the final concoction to be carefully formulated, as the colors are extremely sensitive, even to trace amounts of impurities.

So, whether you’re celebrating Canada Day or have front row seats at the Sumida River Firework Festival, impress your friends and family with the color science of these amazing pyrotechnical displays. And don’t forget to enjoy the show!

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Still, in the small town of Nuanquan in Heibi Province, China, just west of Beijing, a small group of farmers are keeping one of the world’s most unique fireworks displays alive.

Resource: China’s Blacksmiths Put On Dazzling Display for New Year

About 500 years ago, there were many blacksmith shops in the farming town of Nuanquan. Unable to afford expensive fireworks during the Chinese New Year holiday, lower income residents such as blacksmiths and farmers sought an alternative. Inspired by the beautiful sparks emitted during their iron working, a group of brave blacksmiths began splashing molten metal on the city walls, which resulted in the creation of beautiful flower shapes from the cooling iron.

Photo Credit: Robert Berkowitz Creative Commons

As time went on, locals began to prefer the stunning, steel-catalyzed display to fireworks, and donated their scrap metal to the blacksmiths to use during the annual performance. Eventually, a more developed system evolved and eventually became known as dashuhua, which roughly translates as “throwing tree fireworks.”

To create the display, men first soak wooden ladles in water for three days prior to the show to prevent them from combusting on impact. After dipping the ladles into the molten iron (which is made from smashed up pieces of pig iron), flames instantly shoot up. As such, the men work quickly to splash the molten iron onto the city wall to avoid injury.

As the metal strikes the cold, hard wall, it explodes into a shower of sparks, mostly over the performers. Due to the danger posed by the falling molten iron, only the bravest individuals performed in the show, wearing only a jacket made of sheepskin—a material that naturally repels the molten iron—and a straw hat to protect against the splash of hot metal.

Photo Credit: Robert Berkowitz Creative Commons

Despite being banned during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, the tradition has since carried on through the ages. Refusing modern protective clothing to more closely maintain the tradition, today’s performers are prideful of their region’s rich cultural heritage and are eager to pass on the custom to their children. They are also pleased that the event continues to attract spectators from all over China, who gather in freezing temperatures to witness the incredible scene of a night sky illuminated by the sparks of molten iron.

However, as urbanization surges in the world’s most populated nation, the tradition is on the decline, with only four performers left. As such, the Chinese government has designated dashuhua as an Intangible Cultural Heritage and has helped organizers build a dedicated stage for their performances, with an aim to preserve the country’s past as well as Nuanquan’s steel-centric custom.

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In addition to holidays, February is also a month in which a number of highly anticipated events take place. Included among this month’s festivities are the Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the United States’ National Football League (NFL), as well as the Academy Awards, an annual American ceremony that recognizes cinematic achievements in the film industry.

The Steel Wire brings you interesting stories regarding how steel plays a role in each of these prominent holidays and events.

Steel Fireworks Light Up a Steel City During Chinese New Year: For the past 500 years in Hebei Province, China, steelmakers—often unable to afford real fireworks—have carried on the tradition of dashuha, or throwing molten iron to create spectacular “fireworks.” In recent years, this art has become the centerpiece of the area’s New Year’s celebrations, as well as a vastly popular tourist attraction that people from all over the country travel to see.

Levi’s® Stadium: The World’s Most Sustainable Steel Football Arena: The newly constructed Levi’s® Stadium is home to the San Francisco 49ers and is the venue for the upcoming 2016 Super Bowl. The stadium, which has been called the most technologically advanced sports facility in the US, is made from over 14,000 pieces of steel.

Cupid’s Steel Arrows: Perhaps no other character is more synonymous with Valentine’s Day than Cupid, the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. In Roman mythology, Cupid’s steel arrows produced a love wound incapable of healing. Eros, his Greek mythology counterpart, used iron arrows that made people fall out of love, so much so to the point of detestation. Learn more about the role steel played in classical mythology.

Hearts of Steel: Just like Cupid, the heart is another iconic symbol of love. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, The Steel Wire has found some of the most interesting heart-inspired sculptures that are representative of the strength and eternity of love. Learn a bit more about these beautiful, meaningful sculptures.

Glienicke Bridge: The Real Bridge of Spies: Nominated for Best Movie for this year’s Academy Awards, “Bridge of Spies” is a film about the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin. This steel bridge was a meeting point for spies to exchange information during the Cold War.

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Here, we list up the world’s top five famous fireworks festivals… plus an extra! For those stopping by Korea, we introduce you to “Pohang International Fireworks Festival”, held each year in POSCO’s own hometown.

But first, here’s the countdown.

Top 5 Fireworks Displays Around the World

#1 National Day (Singapore)

“Singapore Fireworks Celebrations” is an annual event held in Singapore as part of its National Day events. It features several local and foreign teams which launch many different fireworks displays. The teams put on shows over several nights, making this one of the longest-running annual fireworks events on the planet.

#2 Australia Day (Australia)

For visitors to Australia, this is a must-see event. On January 26, Australia’s national holiday is celebrated in style in Sydney’s Darling Harbour with a fireworks display that is said to stun.

#3 Malta International Fireworks (Malta)

 The cleanest, bluest ocean, clearest blue sky, and most impressive firework display around might just be at the tiny European island nation of Malta. Every year around the last week in April, Malta teams up with fireworks creators to produce this incredible spectacle. It’s too good to miss this if you are planning to stay in Malta during your summer holiday.

#4 New Year’s Eve Fireworks (Dubai, UAE)

When you think of Dubai, what comes to mind first? The world’s tallest building? Or something else? The fabulous Dubai New Year’s Eve fireworks show might end up your greatest impression of the desert nation, if you’re lucky enough to see it. In 2013, Dubai’s event broke the record for most fireworks set in a single show.

#5 Independence Day Fireworks (Washington D.C, USA)

As Independence Day is the holiday that commemorates the founding of the USA, it’s only fitting that some of the best fireworks displays there happens in the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C.

Introducing: Pohang International Fireworks Festival

Pohang International Fireworks Festival has been by POSCO held every year since year 2004 in celebration of ‘The 1st Pohang Citizens’ Day’ and commemoration of the citizens of Pohang city itself. In 2014, it was selected as an ‘Excellent Festival’ by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, securing its name among Korea’s greatest cultural festivals. Let’s have a closer look!

New for 2014: International Firework Competition

From July 31 to August 3 of 2014, the 11th Pohang International Fireworks Festival showed off its newest addition, the ‘International Firework Competition’. The event presented fireworks from the world’s best teams and directors in a competitive format. The winner was determined through the scores of 100 judges from the audience. For an hour and 20 minutes, the competition’s beautiful lights painted unforgettable memories for the audience at Pohang’s Youngildae Beach.

Three Teams:

#1: Live N  Loud by HOWARD&Sons (Australia)

From Australia, ‘HOWARD&Sons’ is a family team that has created fireworks for four straight generations. This team opened the International Firework Competition with a performance following the theme of ”Live N Loud”, providing a show as thrilling as the front seat at a major concert.

#2: Bond, James Bond by Pyro2000 (UK)

The name is Bond, James Bond…in the sky! British team “Pyro 2000” performed a show based on the theme of the UK’s legendary national hero, 007. The performance was made up of cinematographic elements mimicking the tension and excitement that typify the Bond movies. We imagine the audience was thrilled by an unexpected feeling of deja-vu.

#3: The Winner! Return of Emotion by Surex (Poland)

Polish team Surex saved the best for last. They performed to the theme song “Return of Emotion” by Bartosz Chajdecki, an outstanding composer who exemplifies the new generation of Polish contemporary musicians. Following Surex’s experience in winning several competitions throughout the world, they counted 882 points and won again in Pohang, taking home the first prize of $10,000.

Incredible sights and the Grand Finale

Between competitions, a few extra performances took place. The first intermission performance was “Flame of Pohang”, where performers used the theme ‘fire’ to express a show that represented the warm heart of the citizens of Pohang. The team also used ethnic drums and trampolines as instruments.

The second intermission performance was called “Harmony of Lights of the World”. An emotionally charged, beautiful melody of world instruments made this performance more than touching.

Lastly, the Grand Finale was performed by Korea’s own Hanwha team. As shown in the title of the piece, “The Wind”, the gigantic fireworks expressed an optimistic message. The Hanwha team used a barge ship and to set an oval shaped fire they called ‘Tower Firework’. This was especially meaningful for the Korean members of the audience after 2014’s ferry disaster, as the entire country has searched for healing and a cure for the national mood. Through the fireworks, the team aimed to express a feeling of hope.