Xinjiang Basalt: From Paving Stone to "Chosen" Material, Building China's Fourth Largest High-Performance Fiber Industry

Xinjiang Basalt: From Paving Stone to "Chosen" Material, Building China's Fourth Largest High-Performance Fiber IndustryYou might not know this, but the five-star red flag displayed by the Chang'e-6 lander on the far side of the moon is actually made from basalt fibers spun from Xinjiang. This flag not only symbolizes the advancement of China's aerospace technology, but also reveals the extraordinary potential of Xinjiang basalt

Xinjiang Basalt: From Paving Stone to "Chosen" Material, Building China's Fourth Largest High-Performance Fiber Industry

You might not know this, but the five-star red flag displayed by the Chang'e-6 lander on the far side of the moon is actually made from basalt fibers spun from Xinjiang. This flag not only symbolizes the advancement of China's aerospace technology, but also reveals the extraordinary potential of Xinjiang basalt.

In the past, basalt was merely used as a paving stone, valued at only about 50 to 60 yuan per ton. Today, thanks to technological breakthroughs, it has been spun into fibers thinner than human hair, skyrocketing its price to as high as 160,000 yuan per ton, with a minimum value of 20,000 yuan per ton. What technological power lies behind this transformation?

Basalt: The "Tough Guy" from Volcanic Lava

Basalt is a rock formed when volcanic lava cools and solidifies on the Earth's surface, exhibiting a dense or foamy structure. It is widely distributed, found in places like Fujian, Sichuan, Anhui, Guizhou, and especially abundant in Xinjiang's Aksu, Kashgar, Bayingolin, Altay, Ili, and Urumqi regions.

Besides its widespread distribution, basalt possesses exceptional qualities: hard and wear-resistant, corrosion-resistant, radiation-resistant, high-pressure resistant, and capable of enduring temperatures as high as 760C and as low as -273C. This "tough guy" attribute requires the use of diamond drills to "bite" into it during oil and gas exploration drilling. The moon's surface experiences a temperature difference of over 300C between day and night, making basalt the ideal choice for crafting the lunar five-star red flag.

Empowered by Technology: Transforming Basalt into "Magical Fibers"

While spinning basalt into fibers might seem as simple as making noodles, it actually requires high-level technology. Chinese scientists, after 8 years of continuous research, have finally succeeded in spinning basalt into fibers thinner than human hair. Currently, there are dozens of companies nationwide producing basalt fibers on a large scale, primarily using two techniques: crucible and tank furnace.

The first step in spinning basalt is melting it, creating a liquid state at 1450C to 1500C, then rapidly drawing it through a platinum-rhodium alloy draw plate to produce continuous fibers. However, not just any basalt can be spun; the silicon content, and the content of metal elements like iron, magnesium, and sodium within the basalt affect material properties.

To better utilize Xinjiang's abundant basalt resources, the Xinjiang Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has built the first basalt mineral resource distribution data platform in China, covering all provincial-level administrative regions, 685 sampling areas, and data on nearly 5,000 basalt ores throughout China, providing technological support for the classified utilization of basalt ores.

The "Rising Star": Basalt Fiber, Hope for Future Industries

With its unique properties, basalt fiber has become China's fourth most important high-performance fiber after carbon fiber, aramid fiber, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. It plays a significant role in various fields, including aerospace, military, municipal construction, medical electronics, and new energy.

For instance, basalt fibers can be used for manufacturing aircraft fuselage materials, lightweight automotive interior materials, fire-resistant clothing, photovoltaic panel support structures, corrosion-resistant, high-temperature-resistant, and high-pressure-resistant oil and gas pipeline materials.

Currently, domestic basalt continuous fiber production capacity is mainly concentrated in Sichuan, Zhejiang, Guizhou, Jiangsu, and Henan. The five-star red flag carried by the Chang'e-6 lander was made from basalt sourced from Hebei, manufactured by a "small giant" company in Hubei.

In recent years, many investors have recognized the potential of Xinjiang's basalt resources and have come to the region for investigations. In 2021, a Sichuan-based company with the world's first 2,400-hole draw plate intelligent tank furnace production line for basalt fiber landed in the Alar High-tech Industrial Development Zone in Aksu, Xinjiang, registering Xinjiang Wooyu Textile New Materials Co., Ltd. and producing composite reinforced pipe materials for municipal construction materials.

Xinjiang Basalt Industry: Ready to Take Off, a Promising Future

Xinjiang Wooyu Textile New Materials Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Sichuan Pavoco Mineral Fiber Products Group Co., Ltd., has jointly developed a 50,000-ton 3,200-hole large draw plate basalt fiber draw plate tank furnace production line, currently entering the final third computer simulation experiment, preparing to invest in the construction of a 200,000-ton tank furnace basalt draw plate production line in Alar later this year.

This production line is designed to have four production lines, with a tank furnace capacity of 50,000 tons per line, completed in three phases. The first 50,000-ton tank furnace production line is expected to be fired in 2026. Upon completion, it will set a new world record for the largest single tank furnace.

Moreover, Qitai County signed an agreement with Jiangsu Xuan Kun Basalt Fiber Technology Co., Ltd. at the end of 2023 to establish a basalt industrial park in Qitai County, building a comprehensive industry chain base encompassing research and development, testing, automotive lightweighting, and new field customization.

In the future, Xinjiang will leverage its abundant basalt resources to vigorously develop the basalt fiber industry, aiming to build China's fourth largest high-performance fiber production base, inject new vitality into Xinjiang's economic development, and contribute to the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry.

In Conclusion

From an inconspicuous paving stone to a "chosen" material, Xinjiang basalt is undergoing a magnificent transformation. Technological advancements have given it new life, opening up vast application areas. In the future, Xinjiang will capitalize on its advantages to build a basalt industry chain encompassing research and development, production, and application, contributing to the development of China's manufacturing industry.

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