【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】Dehong Technology releases results of the world’s first industrial demonstration line for directly producing lactic acid from straw, 2031–2026

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Let’s give praise and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. Your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement**********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Continuous updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** Dehong Technology has announced the success of the world’s first industrial demonstration plant for directly producing lactic acid from straw. The new multi-functional microbial strains developed by Dehong Technology have enriched China’s database of microbial strains used in lactic acid production, while its innovative and advanced production processes provide efficient and viable solutions for the recycling of agricultural and industrial solid wastes such as straw and wood fibers. Looking to the future, the company will build on this 1,000-tonne demonstration line to establish industrial bases in various regions such as Hainan, Guangxi, Shandong, Xinjiang, and Sichuan. By leveraging the advantages of straw resources in each area, it aims to create zero-carbon, non-grain-based bio-material industry parks that integrate raw material supply, production, deep processing, and application, thereby promoting the development of the non-grain-based bio-manufacturing industry. The industry professionals who were invited to attend agreed that the technologies developed by Dehong Technology fall within three fields: low-carbon environmental protection, new materials, and biosynthesis. Not only are these technologies at the international forefront, but they also reach ordinary households through various products at relatively low prices. "The 15th Five-Year Plan outlines clearly the need to promote areas such as biomanufacturing to become new drivers of economic growth. The achievements released by Dehong Technology represent a major breakthrough in biomanufacturing technology, which will drive the upgrading and advancement of production technologies across the entire industry chain. Dehong Technology’s technological achievements hold great potential for application; they help to improve the systems for collecting and transporting straw at the upstream level, thereby boosting agricultural efficiency and increasing farmers’ incomes ； It supplies stable and low-cost environmentally friendly raw materials to enterprises that produce biodegradable products, thereby promoting the coordinated development of enterprises in both upstream and downstream sectors. The project is expected to help establish an industry cluster for non-grain bio-based materials in Zhejiang and across the country, enabling the sustainable utilization of straw resources and thus contributing to the regional development of green and high-quality growth. In November 2025, Dehong Technology’s \"new technology for producing L-lactic acid through the direct fermentation of lignocellulose by extremophilic anaerobic bacteria, along with a demonstration plant capable of producing thousands of tons per year\", passed the technical achievement appraisal held by the China National Light Industry Council and was registered as a scientific and technological achievement of Zhejiang Province; its key technologies are at the international leading level. Unlike traditional methods that require the use of food crops such as corn and potatoes to produce lactic acid, Dehong Technology, through 8 years of research and development, has created new strains of microorganisms that enable efficient conversion of straw. This approach overcomes the technical challenges associated with such conversion, allowing for the production of environmentally friendly materials without competing with food crops for resources or land, thereby avoiding potential food security risks at the source. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs show that the amount of crop straw generated in China is increasing year by year; currently, the total amount of crop straw produced nationwide is 867 million tons, with 733 million tons available for collection. In the past, the utilization rate of straw was low, and burning it caused air pollution. Leveraging the innovative technologies of Dehong Technology, these waste straws can be directly converted into lactic acid, which is the key raw material for producing fully biodegradable plastics – polylactic acid (PLA). This approach truly enables the transformation of waste into valuable resources, while also helping to reduce reliance on fossil resources such as oil. It is reported that the traditional technique for producing lactic acid from straw requires the addition of exogenous cellulase systems to first break down the straw into sugars, followed by fermentation. The innovation of Dehong Technology lies in its self-produced cellulase system for bacteria, which directly converts cellulose and hemicellulose in straw into lactic acid, thereby combining the processes of saccharification and fermentation into one. This achievement stems from foreign scientists who, years ago, discovered unique microorganisms—extremophilic anaerobes—in extreme outdoor environments and cultivated them. In 2017, Dehong Technology introduced this experimental strain, accelerating the process of strain selection, process technology research and development, and industrialization, and enabling the construction and successful commissioning of the world’s first production line for directly producing lactic acid from straw on a scale of 1,000 tons per year. As a result, the production of lactic acid from straw shifted from a two-step process to a one-step process, and the entire industrial chain from straw to lactic acid to polylactic acid was established, resulting in significant improvements in production efficiency and cost advantages. At the same time, polylactic acid materials made from straw can be decomposed into carbon dioxide and water under industrial composting conditions, returning to the natural cycle and avoiding the \"white pollution\" caused by plastic products. Achieve sustainable, renewable, green, and low-carbon circular development.