In response to global climate change, the world is actively promoting green transformation and accelerating the implementation of policies and regulations aimed at achieving carbon neutrality. To date, over 100 countries and regions have committed to carbon neutrality targets. Europe and the United States are spearheading the transition to carbon neutrality and striving to secure carbon pricing power. China has set great targets, aiming to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Biomanufacturing is emerging as a key solution in this transition.
Biobased materials is eco-friendly and sustainable, which is produced by biochemical technologies with biocatalysis at its core. They help reduce reliance on petrochemical resources and provide an effective way for low-carbon transformation and sustainable development of the chemical industryby enhancing resource utilization efficiency and mitigating environmental pollution. In light of the significance of this, the United States and the European Union have already initiated projects such as "BioFoundries" and "Microbial Cell Factories." As a result, biomanufacturing has become a key area of competition among major nations.
The National Energy Biorefinery Research and Development Center at Beijing University of Chemical Technology is dedicated to the production of liquid fuels and essential chemicals derived from biomass resources. In addition to this, the Center provides technical support for the reduction of fossil resources in the energy mix and the mitigation of CO2 emissions. By leveraging the creation of high-performance strains and advancements in fermentation technology, the Center utilizes a unique digital cell factory platform to rapidly determine metabolic engineering directions and identify key regulatory targets. This enables the design of optimal strains and provides core technological support for project implementation.
As China transitions from being a major chemical producer to a global leader in the chemical industry, it has incorporated the bioeconomy, with biomanufacturing at its core, into its national strategy. "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Bioeconomy" explicitly calls for the steady development of bioenergy, biobased materials as alternatives to traditional chemical feedstocks, and the establishment of a technical system for biomass recycling. The plan prioritizes the development of synthetic biology, biobased materials, and biomanufacturing, which can reduce carbon emissions at the source, promote green transformation and upgrading in the petrochemical and materials industries, and reshape industrial systems.
To align with national strategies, target market frontiers, and realize the full coverage of "Industry，Academia, Research, Application" and coordination across the industrial chain, Kingfa and Beijing University of Chemical Technology signed the strategic cooperation agreement on "Green Biomanufacturing" at the 2024 High-Quality Development Conference of China's Petrochemical Industry held on September 5, 2024. The objective of this collaboration is to leverage the strengths of research institutions and leading enterprises in green biomanufacturing to develop a new integrated mechanism for industry-academia-research-application cooperation in strain technology, pilot production line preparation, and downstream technology completion. This will resolve the contradiction between research outcomes and industrialization, guaranteeing the industrialization effects.
After the signing ceremony, Dr. Chen Pingxu, Chairman of Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd., Mr. Tan Tianwei, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Beijing University of Chemical Technology; Mr. Xing Peng, Deputy Secretary of the Panjin Municipal Party Committee and Mayor; Mr. Yang Kai, Vice Chairman of the Panjin Municipal Committee of the CPPCC and Secretary of the Liaobin Economic and Technological Development Zone Party Committee; and other distinguished leaders visited the production site of Liaoning Kingfa Biomaterials Co., Ltd. and put forward instructions.
Liaoning Kingfa Biomaterials Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd. The company was established in May 2022 with a registered capital of 500 million yuan. The facility is situated in the Liaobin Coastal Economic and Technological Development Zone in Panjin, occupying an area of 490,000 square meters. Liaoning Kingfa Biomaterials is a leading company specialising in the research, development, production and sales of high-end biobased materials. The company has planned an integrated biobased materials project in the Liaobin Economic and Technological Development Zone, which will focus on the construction of production lines for biobased organic acids (such as L-lactic acid and succinic acid), biobased 1,4-butanediol, biobased polyesters, and halogen-free eco-friendly flame retardants, and will establish an integrated industrial chain for biobased succinic acid, butanediol, and polyester. Upon reaching full operational capacity, Kingfa will achieve significant breakthroughs in green biodegradable materials, lead the transformation towards sustainable developmentin the chemical industry . In line with the biomanufacturing industry's growth trajectory, this project will drive the creation of new productive capacities, the company is expected to become Asia’s largest production hub of eco-friendly biobased materials, which will contribute to China's circular economy, green GDP growth, and the achievement ofcarbon emission peak and carbon neutrality.
