China's straw to pulp technology has made significant breakthroughs

On the afternoon of March 9th, the project "Research and Application of Three Component Separation Technology and Complete Equipment for Biomass Enzymatic Dissection of Straw Wood Cellulose" jointly completed by Shenzhen Zhongnong Straw Beauty Technology Co., Ltd., Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Qilu University of Technology, and Suzhou Zhongnong Straw Beauty Technology Co., Ltd. passed the scientific research achievement appraisal organized by the China Light Industry Federation. The experts of the appraisal committee unanimously believe that the project has strong innovation in technical route, high equipment integration, and has reached the international leading level in the efficient separation and high-value conversion of straw resources, providing important technical support for the upgrading of China's biomass chemical industry.

Chen Jian, an academician of the CAE Member and the former president of Jiangnan University, served as the director of the appraisal committee, Yu Xuejun, the president of the China Biofermentation Industry Association, and An Qingda, the vice president of Dalian University of Technology, served as the deputy directors. The members of the appraisal committee include Professor Sun Jibin, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jin Fuming, the vice president of the China Paper Society, Professor Jiang Zhengqiang, School of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering, China Agricultural University, and Professor Wu Shubin, School of Light Industrial Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology. Chen Xiaohong, Chairman of Shenzhen Zhongnong Straw Beauty Technology Co., Ltd., and Yan Xijun, Founder of Tianshi Li and Honorary Chairman of Guotai Jizhi Liquor Industry Group, attended the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Xuejun, the Chairman of the China Biological Fermentation Industry Association.

At present, the theoretical resource quantity of straw in China is 977 million tons, and the collectible resource quantity is 737 million tons. The straw resources are very abundant. However, currently straw is mainly utilized through methods such as returning to the field, generating electricity, pressing plates, and organic fertilizers, which have low economic benefits.

The project leader and general manager of Shenzhen Zhongnong Straw Beauty Technology Co., Ltd., Zang Lihua, introduced that the project was jointly completed with the team of Professor Lu Fuping from Tianjin University of Science and Technology. The project replaces traditional chemical and physical treatment techniques with enzyme catalysis technology, and through the independent creation of high-performance core enzymes, breaks through the bottleneck of molecular design, enzyme preparation intelligent manufacturing, and industrial application of lignocellulosic straw depolymerase. It improves straw utilization, reduces straw burning and chemical reagent usage, reduces pollutant emissions, achieves resource recycling, and achieves a win-win situation of economic and ecological benefits.

Experts say that Professor Zang Lihua and his team have broken through key enzymatic hydrolysis technologies through years of research, solving the global problem of using biological enzymatic hydrolysis technology for straw component separation.

It is reported that this research project has formed different combination enzyme depolymerization systems based on the structural characteristics of lignocellulosic straw and the properties of enzyme molecules. After enzymatic catalytic reactions according to different processes, the product quality is superior to various technical indicators in national standards, and the efficiency of the enterprise is significantly increased.

In addition, this scientific research project has completed for the first time an industrial experimental production line for the separation of three components using 10000 tons of straw raw materials per year, achieving a breakthrough from laboratory research to original technology at the industrial level of "0 to 1". It has complete independent research and development intellectual property rights for innovative enzymes and enzyme catalytic reactors for the decomposition and polymerization of lignocellulosic straw components. Compared with traditional chemical production processes, the energy consumption (steam, electricity) of this industrial test line has been reduced by more than 70%, water conservation has been reduced by more than 80%, and the utilization rate of raw materials is nearly 100%.

The experts of the appraisal committee unanimously believe that the scientific research project has achieved core innovation in three aspects: the creation of a new type of lignocellulose degrading enzyme, the development of a new complete set of enzymatic hydrolysis reaction equipment, and the industrial verification of enzymatic hydrolysis processes and equipment at the 10000 ton level. Through the full chain innovation of "enzyme equipment process", this scientific research project has solved the industry pain points of insufficient component disassembly and low product added value in straw utilization. The China Light Industry Federation evaluated that this achievement "provides a Chinese solution for biomass refining and has strategic significance for achieving the 'dual carbon' goal".

This research project undergoes a series of enzyme catalyzed reactions to ultimately convert straw into fiber products and products such as humic acid. Among them, fiber products - wood pulp has always been an important raw material for industrial production. Due to limited forest resources in China, the self-sufficiency rate of wood pulp production is relatively low, and the dependence on imports has always been high. According to data from the China Paper Association, the import volume of wood pulp in China will account for about 63% of the total consumption in 2022. Therefore, this research project has significant and far-reaching implications for national economic security and technological self-reliance.

Chen Jian, director of the appraisal committee, academician of the CAE Member, and former president of Jiangnan University, said that the project, based on the major needs of national development, has great significance in solving the "bottleneck" problem of resources and industries, promoting green and low-carbon circular development, realizing resource recycling, and developing new quality productivity. It is a model, with demonstration effect and leading role. From an industrial perspective, in order to achieve high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement, the first step is for the industry to be autonomous and controllable. The significance of this project is of great economic and social value for replacing foreign wood pulp imports and reducing pollution.

Chen Jian pointed out that technological innovation and multi domain collaboration are the key to breaking the cost of enzymes. With the development of biologics and enzyme engineering technology, more and better enzymes can now be developed. Through cross disciplinary cooperation in multiple fields, including joint equipment manufacturing enterprises, build industrial chains, capital chains, and value chains. Equipment in enzymatic hydrolysis technology is a key link. To effectively integrate and promote overall technological progress, engineering thinking should be used to improve the project promotion concept system and create a national model force.

Chen Jian stated that the project needs to further expand its application scenarios, integrate with the national development strategy and the national ecological industry cluster, focus on solving industrial production problems, connect equipment and process production, and form a complete ecological industrial chain.

Shenzhen Zhongnong Straw Beauty has applied the highly active biological enzyme and efficient enzymatic hydrolysis technology invented by synthetic biology to solve the global technical problem of scientific utilization of crop straw by humans. Provided new technologies for the green and high-quality utilization of agricultural grain straw, opened up new avenues for the high-level development of agricultural grain straw in China, and provided a complete set of solutions with independent intellectual property rights for the market.

Chen Xiaohong stated that the project has three benefits. Firstly, it has a significant carbon reduction effect. By replacing the traditional high-temperature and strong alkali cooking process with green and low-carbon biological enzyme technology, the carbon reduction performance is remarkable. The second is import substitution, which saves foreign exchange. Due to the lack of forest wood in China, data from 2023 shows that over 30 million tons of virgin pulp are imported annually, accounting for 78%. This bio based fiber can ｒｅｐｌａｃｅ hardwood pulp and reduce foreign exchange usage. The third is to ｒｅｐｌａｃｅ chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizers. In the process, bio based fibers account for over 60% of the weight of straw and soluble humic acid organic fertilizers account for over 30%, providing an effective way for organic fertilizers to ｒｅｐｌａｃｅ chemical fertilizers.

It is reported that Shenzhen Zhongnong Straw Beauty, in conjunction with Tianshili Group and Guotai Liquor Industry, has also conducted research and development projects on the red tassel glutinous sorghum straw and waste straw from Daqu fermentation, which are specifically used for the production of sauce flavored liquor, and has achieved research results. In the production of soy sauce wine, there are problems such as high viscosity of distiller's grains, difficulty in decomposition, and inability to naturally treat sorghum straw and waste rice husks. This technology realizes the full component utilization of sorghum straw and waste rice husk, and uses enzymatic rice husk separation technology to produce pulp and fine feed. By turning waste into treasure, it has changed the problem of waste recycling that has been difficult to achieve in the brewing industry for thousands of years, and solved the environmental pollution problem in the brewing industry. In the future, it will develop into a new field and increase the income of farmers in poverty-stricken areas, becoming a new engine for the growth of China's agricultural industry.

Yan Xijun expressed that he believes that the domestic scientific research and industry will take this appraisal as a starting point to contribute new strength in the modernization of agriculture in China, in the transformation of agricultural waste, grain straw into treasure, resource recycling, and high-quality and efficient utilization of straw. If the experimental production line is promoted nationwide and combined with upstream and downstream industries to form an ecological industrial park, it will create huge social and economic benefits for Chinese agriculture.

It is understood that this technology has undergone more than ten years of arduous experiments from scientific research ideas to final industrialization. Among them, as strategic partners of Shenzhen Zhongnong Straw Beauty Technology Company, Tianshi Li and Guotai Liquor Industry have provided important assistance in promoting scientific research projects from the laboratory to the scale of 10000 tons, and assisted the research project team in improving the industrialization design plan.

In the future, this research project will be further planned to increase the value of downstream industries and form a high-value industrial chain to serve society. Firstly, scientific research projects will further develop digital standards for processes, promote further improvement of workshop production, achieve intelligence and industrialization, and provide reference for the future development of unified national standards; Secondly, scientific research projects will further focus on overall planning, forming a closed ecological and modular industrial park style industrial model. From the source entry to key enzymatic hydrolysis technologies and downstream products, three major industries will be formed, allowing high value-added agricultural technologies to truly achieve industrial development and promote the upgrading of the agricultural industry.