Industry collaboration – on March 28, Guangdong Tsinghua Smart Biotech Co., Ltd. and Shandong Xiangchi Jianyuan Biotechnology Co., Ltd. signed a partnership agreement to jointly build a 20,000 t/a bio-based 1,3-propanediol (PDO) production facility at Xiangchi Jianyuan Industrial Park in Boxing County, Shandong.
Tsinghua Smart, leveraging its research and industrialization platforms, has broken DuPont‘s monopoly on PDO biotechnology patents. The company is the first to master the “glycerol + multi-sugar PDO fermentation technology,” achieving industrial-scale production. As the leader of China’s national “863” project, Tsinghua Smart, in collaboration with Professor Liu Dehua of Tsinghua University, focuses on PDO biorefinery industrialization.
PDO, a key bio-based alternative to petroleum-based materials, is integral to China’s dual-carbon goals. It has applications across a wide range of industries, including polyesters, biodegradable materials, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Identified as a priority product in China’s 11th to 14th Five-Year Plans, PDO has a market potential worth hundreds of billions.
Company Overview
Xiangchi Jianyuan has another ongoing project to renovate 20,000 t/a erythritol workshop, adding capacities of 20,000 t/a bio-based 1,3-propanediol (PDO), and 5,000 t/a of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) as a byproduct.
The company is primarily engaged in the deep processing of corn, specializing in the research, development, and production of starch, starch sugars, sugar alcohols, sodium gluconate, and other related products. The company processes up to 600,000 tons of corn annually and produces a total of 550,000 tons of products including F42 and F55 glucose syrups, maltose syrup, and more. In addition, it focuses on the development and production of differentiated syrups, erythritol, and sodium gluconate, amounting to 60,000 tons.
The company’s products are exported to over 20 countries across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Recognized as a global strategic supplier by Coca-Cola and awarded the Best Supplier Quality Award, Xiangchi Jianyuan holds the AEO Advanced Certification from customs, is a High-Tech Enterprise, and has been honored as a Green Design Demonstration Enterprise for industrial products by the government. Additionally, it has been recognized as a Green Factory by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
