It is with the profoundest sadness that we must report the passing of Professor Zhenfu Luo,Editor-in-Chief of IJMST,on 8th May 2020 at the age of 57.We express our most sincere condolences to his family,colleagues and friends.

Professor Luo was born on 24 June 1963,in Yixing,Jiangsu Province of China.From September 1982 to July 1986,he studied applied mathematics in the Department of Mathematics of Tianjin University,and after graduation in July 1986,he taught in the Department of Mathematics and Mechanics of China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT),where he studied for a Ph.D.from September 1993 to July 1996.He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997 and then to Professor in 2002.

Academically,most of his scientific career has been devoted to the study of innovative coal selection and preparation processes.Professor Luo made creative contributions in the field of fundamental mineralization theory,technological research and development,particularly in the field of fluidized dry coal selection method.He developed the theory of uniform stability of the density of the air heavy-medium fluidized bed,discovered the steady-state micro-bubble quasi-dispersal fluidization and its sorting characteristics.Further,he proposed the pressure-dropping quasi-number determination method,the three-level distribution theory of material in the fluidized bed,and the method of introducing external energy to excite the fluid-bed activity.Professor Luo then proposed two parallel diffusion flow models to describe the flow phenomenon and law of the medium solid.He made substantial contributions to the development of a modular and efficient dry coal selection process system which has found applications in China,United States,Russia and other countries,particularly in areas having water shortage for coal preparation.Professor Luo was included in the Chinese coal professional and technical top talent of the national ‘‘100 million talent project”.He led and participated in 27 research projects supported by the national ‘‘973 Plan”,‘‘863 Plan”and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.Professor Luo published 5 books and over 100 papers in international journals and had more than 20 invention patents.His research work was listed in the ‘‘100-year major Innovation in the Field of Mineral Processing and Metallurgy”by American scholars.

Probably,the most significant contribution of Professor Luo was the editorial and publishing work for several academic journals.Despite spending much of his time in research and teaching,Professor Luo had been the editorial director of China University of Mining Technology Publishing House since April 2004.He then became Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of China Mining University which later became the International Journal of Mining Science and Technology(IJMST).Largely owing to his great effort,the journal was twice selected in 2013 and 2016 as the‘‘China Science and Technology Journal International Impact Promotion Program”by the Chinese Association of Science and Technology,the Ministry of Finance,the Ministry of Education,the Ministry of Science and Technology,the State Press and Publication Administration,the Chinese Academy of Sciences,the Chinese Academy of Engineering;JIMST has been awarded the title of‘‘China’s top 100 newspapers and the most influential academic journals”,‘‘National Fine Social Journal”,‘‘AMI Comprehensive Evaluation(A)Extended Journal”and‘‘CSSCI Extended Source Journal”.In December 2019,Professor Luo’s tremendous efforts in promoting the quality and international impact of IJMST were officially appreciated and recognized by the inclusion of the journal in the Science Citation Index(SCI) database.

Professor Luo was a dedicated hard worker,an outstanding academic,a highly qualified educator and a professional academic journal editor.He devoted a great effort to motivate and inspire young people and his students to pursue a career in mining science and engineering.He was a very humble and honest individual.He was generous,friendly,approachable,and always prepared to help and share his knowledge with others.Professor Luo worked until the very last days,even,when he was receiving medical treatment in hospital.Without any doubt,his passing was a tremendous loss to his beloved family,his many students,friends and colleagues,and CUMT.

The present Co-editors and editorial board members of the journal offer their deepest condolences to Professor Luo’s family.We are grateful for his dedication,editorship,leadership,wisdom and professionalism-all have been necessary for the development of our journal to date and will continue to be essential for its future.

We will all miss him not only as Editor-in-Chief with profound knowledge and dedication,but also as a very best friend whom we loved and respected so much.