Hohhot accelerates growth of new materials industry

Hohhot is making strides in the development of its new materials sector, with rapid progress in both carbon-based and silicon-based industrial clusters.

Hohhot, capital of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo/Hohhot Convergence Media]

At the construction site of the new energy materials and green fiber recycling project of Inner Mongolia Energy Environmental Protection Technology Co, Ma Zhiyong, head of the company's green plant fiber factory, explained that the 2-billion-yuan ($278.56 million) project focuses on turning waste into resources.

The first phase of the project utilizes shrubs, reeds, agricultural and forestry waste, recycled dairy beverage packaging, and nickel-based by-products to produce biodegradable packaging and eco-friendly panels. The second phase will establish recycling lines for retired ternary and lithium iron phosphate batteries, forming a closed-loop system of "nickel-based materials-solid waste recycling-green products" to support sustainable development in the new energy sector.

Meanwhile, Inner Mongolia Tianhao New Materials Technology Co is rapidly advancing its coal gangue–based silicon-aluminum materials project. Ye Guoqiang, the company's general manager, noted that the facility will process large volumes of coal gangue annually, extracting 400,000 metric tons of high-purity alumina and producing 1.5 million tons of silicon fertilizer. A pilot line will add 1,000 tons of specialty alumina per year. The project is expected to generate over 10 billion yuan in annual output, becoming a major force in expanding the industry.

In Risun Group's modern coal chemical industrial park, a 300,000-ton carbon-based materials project was launched in 2024. Zhao Jinliang, deputy manager of Qingshuihe Xuyang Energy Co's production technology department, said the facility is operating at full capacity, producing 900 tons of asphalt, anthracene oil, and industrial naphthalene daily.