Published and edited by: Media Convergence Center
WUST News (Reporters: Yu Manfei, Jiang Yonghong) — The 8th Wuhan Refractories Academic Annual Conference was inaugurated in Wuhan on October 19-20under the theme "Innovation Leading · Green Development". Focusing on the forefront of refractory materials and related disciplines, the conference attracted over 500 experts, scholars, and corporate representatives nationwide. Ni Hongwei, Secretary of the University Party Committee, attended and addressed the opening ceremony, which was chaired by Yuan Lin, Chairman of the Refractories Branch of the Chinese Ceramic Society.
On behalf of the WUST, Ni Hongwei extended a warm welcome to the attendees and highlighted the university’s progress in first-class discipline construction. He emphasized that refractory materials serve as the "guardians" of the steel industry and the "lifeline" for high-temperature sectors, with their innovation playing a crucial role in national strategic emerging industries and new industrialization. Noting the industry’s shift "traditional manufacturing" towards "high-end intelligent manufacturing", Ni Hongwei stated that WUST, as the sole Chinese member of the Federation for International Refractory Research and Education (FIRE), will continue to align with national strategies, leveraging major platforms, leading teams, and key projects to deeply integrate disciplinary development with industrial advancement. He encouraged participants to use the conference as a platform for strengthened cooperation and joint innovation.
Jin Zhanping, Secretary-General of the Chinese Ceramic Society, underscored that refractory materials are indispensable to high-temperature industries with their development directly linked to technological progress and industrial upgrading in sectors such as iron and steel, building materials, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, and electric power. He noted that the Wuhan Refractories Academic Annual Conference, now in its eighth iteration, has become a highly influential and branded academic event and expressed hope that the participants would focus on the "dual carbon" goals to propel the industry toward a new stage of sustainable development.
Nian Laixia, Director of the Experimental Division of the Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology, highlighted the critical role of refractory materials in supporting pillar industries and national defense. She called for pooling wisdom and promoting collaboration among industry, academia, research, and application to advance green and sustainable development in high-temperature industries.
During the conference, three experts, including Gao Ruiping, President of the Chinese Ceramic Society, delivered keynote reports.
The annual conference was co-hosted by the Refractories Branch of the Chinese Ceramic Society and the WUST's State Key Laboratory of Advanced Refractories. Multiple parallel sessions facilitated in-depth discussions on nine specialized topics, including new refractory raw materials, refractories for steelmaking, and resource comprehensive utilization and energy-saving insulation materials.
