The first international standard of synthetic biology has been released, what impact does it have on the chemical industry?

On April 3rd, according to a report from a journalist of China Science News, from Shenzhen BGI Research Institute of Life Sciences (referred to as "BGI Research Institute"), it was learned that the international standard "Biotechnology - Nucleic Acid Synthesis - Part 2: Requirements for the Production and Quality Control of Synthetic Gene Fragments, Genes and Genomes" led by China has recently been officially released by the International Organization for Standardization. This is the first international standard in the field of synthetic biology (technology).

This standard specifies the production and quality control requirements of synthetic double-stranded DNA, describes the requirements for quality management, resource management, biosafety, production quality control, product quality, and delivery product specifications of synthetic gene fragments, synthetic genes, and synthetic genomes. It is applicable to synthetic gene fragments, genes, and genomes in the form of linear non-clone fragments with a length of less than 10 Mbp (base pairs) and circular clone genes in plasmids.

The international standard was jointly completed by the National Institute of Metrology of China, Shenzhen BGI Research Institute of Life Sciences, and other units. After multiple rounds of argumentation, reporting, discussion, investigation, and revision, it took nearly five years to finally form an international standard (IS) unanimously recognized by international experts, making contributions to China's leading role in international biotechnology standards.

In recent years, synthetic biology has been advancing rapidly. As an internationally recognized cutting-edge technology and the core technology of the biomanufacturing industry, synthetic biology has also had a certain impact on the development of the chemical industry.

Biobased Materials

Biobased materials can be said to represent the field of synthetic biology in chemical engineering and have the potential to gradually replace petroleum-based materials.

The raw materials for biobased materials, including plant oils, starch, lignin, and sucrose, are widely available. In theory, the vast majority of chemical materials can be obtained from biological raw materials through synthetic biology techniques. At the same time, the innovation of traditional chemical materials is relatively slow, and synthetic biology technology is expected to bring innovation opportunities.

Biobased materials are derived from raw materials such as starch, lignocellulose, sucrose, and plant oils. Through processes like biosynthesis, they form organic acids, biogenic alcohols, olefins, and alkanes, which are further processed into biobased plastics, biobased fibers, and other end products.

Currently, biobased chemical products mainly include polyamide (PA), polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS), and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).

The value of biobased chemicals as substitutes for traditional chemical materials is reflected in raw material substitution and cost reduction in processes.

01 Raw Material Substitution

Taking polyamide as an example, commonly known as nylon, it has characteristics such as lightweight, fatigue resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, heat resistance, wear resistance, and high mechanical strength. It is widely used in fields such as clothing, automobiles, medical equipment, construction, and electrical appliances. The most widely used industrial polyamide varieties are PA66 and PA6, which together account for about 98% and are DuPont's renowned products.

Traditional polyamide production processes involve condensation polymerization of diacid/diamine monomers and polymerization of amino acid condensates/internal amine monomers. PA66 is formed by condensation reaction between adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine; PA6 is formed by polymerization reaction of caprolactam.

For many years, the key raw material for producing PA66, adiponitrile, has been monopolized overseas. Among them, the top five companies such as Invista and BASF account for 80% of the global production capacity. In 2022, China achieved a breakthrough in adiponitrile production technology, and domestic PA66 production capacity is expected to increase.

Biobased polyamide materials transform grain or non-grain environmentally friendly biomass into biobased monomers through biotechnology, which are then polymerized to form biobased polyamides. With abundant raw materials, this provides a pathway for the green, environmentally friendly, and sustainable development of polyamide products.

Currently, PA1012, PA10T, PA610, and PA410 have all been commercialized. Biobased PA66, made from glucose and a portion of petroleum-based hexamethylenediamine, has been synthesized through melt condensation. However, industrial-scale production of adipic acid monomers using bioprocesses has not yet been achieved.

Biobased PA56 is a new type of biobased polyamide, with its monomer biobased 1,5-pentanediamine derived from glucose. The thermal, mechanical, and processing properties of biobased PA56 are comparable to PA66. It can be processed into shapes through injection molding, blow molding, melt spinning, and other methods, similar to PA66.

Additionally, biobased PA56 exhibits superior moisture absorption, dyeability, and melt flow properties compared to PA66, making it promising for large-scale applications in engineering plastics, films, and fibers.

Kaisai Bio is currently the only company to manufacture biobased PA56 intermediate 1,5-pentanediamine on a large scale using bioprocesses. Overseas, companies like Toray Industries in Japan, Mitsubishi Chemical, SK Chemicals in South Korea, and BASF in Germany are researching and attempting to develop PA56, but large-scale production of biobased 1,5-pentanediamine has not yet been achieved.

Domestically, research related to PA56 started around 2010. Currently, Kaisai Bio produces high-purity biobased 1,5-pentanediamine from renewable plants through specific biotransformation processes, achieving industrialization in 2014. It is currently the only company to manufacture 1,5-pentanediamine on a large scale using bioprocesses.

02 Cost Reduction through Process Improvement

Taking amino acids as an example, bioprocess-based amino acid production can enhance the utilization of biological resources and significantly reduce costs. Directed modifications to key enzymes and metabolic networks involved in amino acid synthesis can increase the conversion rate of raw materials and improve amino acid yields.

As early as 2011, SK Group of South Korea constructed the world's first biobased lysine factory in Malaysia, where the biological utilization rate of lysine produced was increased by 20% to 40% compared to chemically synthesized lysine.

In China, Huaheng Bio constructed a microbial cell factory for anaerobic fermentation of L-alanine using renewable glucose as raw material. It successfully achieved industrialization for the first time worldwide, reducing production costs by over 50% compared to traditional techniques. This approach effectively reduces energy consumption, eliminates carbon dioxide emissions during fermentation, and delivers significant economic and environmental benefits.

Fufeng Group, in collaboration with Tianjin University of Science and Technology, improved the fermentation process for L-glutamic acid. In a 780 kL fermentation tank, a yield of 230 g/L was achieved in 34 hours of fermentation, with an average sugar acid conversion rate of 73%, reaching an internationally leading level.

Policy Drive, Market Improvement

Currently, global green and high-quality development has become an irreversible trend, and the application of synthetic biology in the chemical industry will bring significant environmental and social benefits. Among different industries, the chemical industry, which relies on petrochemical resources, ranks high in carbon emissions. Therefore, the green and low-carbon transformation of the petrochemical industry is more urgent than other industries.

The OECD predicts that by 2030, 35% of chemicals and other industrial products may be synthesized using low-carbon biotechnology. Using low-carbon biotechnology to synthesize biobased products to replace petrochemical products can reduce industrial process energy consumption by 15% to 80%, raw material consumption by 35% to 75%, water pollution by 33% to 80%, and production costs by 9% to 90%. It can also reduce fuel-related greenhouse gas emissions by 75% to 80%.

The International Energy Agency released a report in 2020, predicting that low-carbon biotechnology could reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by 670 million tons globally by 2030 based on a lifecycle assessment.

Domestically, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other departments issued the "Three-Year Action Plan to Accelerate the Innovation and Development of Non-Grain Biobased Materials," which is expected to promote the accelerated innovation and development of the biobased materials industry.

On January 9, 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other departments issued the "Three-Year Action Plan to Accelerate the Innovation and Development of Non-Grain Biobased Materials." The plan proposes that by 2025, the non-grain biobased materials industry will have formed a strong capacity for independent innovation, a continuously enriched product system, and an innovative development ecosystem that is green, circular, and low-carbon. The utilization and application technologies of non-grain biomass raw materials will be basically mature, and some non-grain biobased products will have competitiveness comparable to fossil-based products, laying the foundation for establishing a high-quality, sustainable supply and consumption system.

In terms of industry ecosystem cultivation, the plan proposes to develop around 5 core competitive, distinctively featured, and outstanding backbone enterprises and to establish 3 to 5 biobased materials industry clusters. The development ecosystem of the industry will be continuously optimized.

In terms of specific products, the plan requires the establishment of 100,000-ton-level lactic acid production lines, 10,000-ton-level non-grain saccharification production lines, hexanediamine production lines, and PHA production lines in the next three years. Encouraged biobased products include PLA, PHA, PEF, as well as biobased PA, PU, PE, PP, PC, and biobased BDO, PBS, PBAT (PBST), PTMEG, and others.

Conclusion

According to Donghai Securities' forecast, China's biobased materials industry is developing rapidly, but it currently relies mainly on food-based raw materials, thus facing contradictions such as "competition with people for food" and "competition with livestock for feed."

Non-grain biobased materials need to use bulk agricultural residues such as straw and other non-grain biomass as raw materials for production. This poses greater challenges in terms of raw material pretreatment, saccharification, fermentation conversion efficiency, and comprehensive cost control.

However, with the introduction of the "Three-Year Action Plan to Accelerate the Innovation and Development of Non-Grain Biobased Materials," there is hope for industry-wide technological collaboration and advancement. The plan identifies several key products, and it is foreseeable that with the support and encouragement of national policies, the industry will enter a golden development period of three years.