More than 80 industry experts and business people from home and abroad attended a commissioning ceremony for Shanxi Yangzhong New Materials Co's new aerogel project -- as well as an aerogel product launch conference -- in Yangquan city in Shanxi province on Jan 6.

Aerogel is a man-made synthetic, translucent and porous material with extremely low density and weight. With a texture similar to that of foamed polystyrene, it is used among other things in insulating pads to protect users from the heat of laptop computers, thermally insulating windows and in microchips and other high-tech components.

At the product launch conference, the company introduced its wide range of aerogel products in building energy conservation, industrial energy conservation, textiles and in transport and discussed the future development of the aerogel industry.

Representatives of Yangquan Coal Industry Group's new materials industrial park signed a cooperation framework agreement with Shanxi Huabao New Materials Co at the commissioning ceremony.

The two sides said they will expand applications of aerogel nanomaterials in high-end equipment sectors. These include in military equipment and high-speed rail, as well as in industrial and civilian buildings in Taiyuan, Yangquan, Beijing and Tianjin based on their technological advantages in aerogel.

Shanxi Yangzhong New Materials Co was jointly established by Yangquan Coal Industry Group and Shenzhen Aerogel Technology Co in 2018.

The joint venture will construct a production plant producing 300,000 cubic meters of aerogel insulation felt per year, 20,000 metric tons aerogel powder annually and 50,000 tons of functional polyester fiber each year.

The project has three phases. The first phase was commissioned at the ceremony, with the annual production capacity being 20,000 cu m of aerogel felt and 1,000 tons of aerogel powder.

Once totally put into operation, the whole project will have annual sales revenue of 8 billion yuan ($1.15 billion) and generate 1.7 billion yuan in annual profits and taxes.

Officials said it will create 300 jobs and make the company become the leader in Asia with the largest aerogel production and lowest production costs.