Thread Content
Recently, the official website of the Shaoxing Environmental Protection Bureau published a notice regarding the acceptance of the environmental impact assessment for the \"Caprolactone and Polycaprolactone Production Base Project of Weibojie Biomaterials (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd.\" According to the environmental impact report, the project is planned to require an investment of around 1.05 billion yuan, with the aim of producing 30,000 tons per year of caprolactone monomer as well as various grades of polycaprolactone products (the construction will be carried out in two phases: in the first phase, all the building works and a production line with a capacity of 10,000 tons will be completed; in the second phase, an additional production line with a capacity of 20,000 tons will be added). Additionally, 90,000 tons of acetic acid will be produced annually as a by-product. ε-caprolactone monomer, polyε-caprolactone (PCL), etc. are among the main biodegradable materials. As a bio-friendly material, polycaprolactone is widely used in medical devices, artificial bones, artificial blood vessels, and materials for heart stent implantation, as well as in fields such as elastomers, synthetic leather, adhesives, coatings, and fishing nets. Furthermore, the composite solid electrolyte membrane made of PCL endows all-solid-state lithium batteries with high lithium ion conductivity, excellent cycle performance during charging and discharging, and high safety, offering significant advantages over solid lithium batteries made of PEO and similar materials. Moreover, its cost is controllable, making it a key material for the next generation of all-solid-state lithium batteries. Project Background: Xianbojie Biomedical Materials (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Xianbojie Company”) was established on November 26, 2021. The company is primarily engaged in the research, development, production, and sales of environmentally degradable polymers that are in high demand by strategic emerging industries such as new materials, new energy, and biomedicine, in pursuit of the goal of carbon neutrality. The main business activities of Weibojie Company include: research and development, manufacturing, and sales of bio-based material technologies; research and development of bio-based material polymerization technologies; research and development of new materials as well as provision of related promotion services; engineering and technical research and experimental development; manufacturing and sales of engineering plastics and synthetic resins; manufacturing and sales of synthetic materials; manufacturing and sales of additive manufacturing equipment; provision of technical services, research and development, technical consultation, technical exchanges, technology transfer, and technology promotion; as well as import and export of goods and technologies. GuoKe (Zhejiang) New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (formerly Chinese Academy of Sciences New Materials Technology (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd.) submitted an application in 2020 for the New Materials Industry Innovation Base project in the Hangzhou Bay Shangyu Economic and Technological Development Zone, and obtained approval for the environmental impact assessment (Yu Huan Shen No. 27). The project aims to build an innovation hub for the new materials industry within the Shuyu Economic and Technological Development Zone in Hangzhou Bay, which will include 12 pilot-scale production workshops and 1 laboratory center. WeiBoJie Company has set up operations in this industrial innovation hub, and in 2024 it carried out pilot-scale production of hundreds of tons of caprolactone and polycaprolactone. To date, it has mastered the core technologies related to the production, purification, and polymerization of ε-caprolactone monomer using continuous flow technology; it has also developed efficient catalysts as well as production processes for caprolactone. As a result, it is capable of building commercial production lines for caprolactone across the entire process that rely on its own intellectual property, as well as designing key equipment and arranging for its custom fabrication. At the pilot-scale stage, the product has reached an advanced level in the industry in terms of performance indicators such as low side reactions in caprolactone synthesis, high yield per reaction cycle, precise control over the molecular weight of polycaprolactone, molecular weight distribution, melt flow rate, and monomer residues, thereby possessing strong competitiveness in the industry. Therefore, this project is verified with the support of pilot tests, and process maturity can effectively ensure this ； At the same time, since the microchannel continuous flow reactor has a modular structure, it also significantly reduces the risk associated with scaling up production capacity. Against this backdrop, Weibojie Biomedical Materials (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. plans to invest around 1.05 billion yuan to acquire an additional 112 mu of land in the Binhai New City of Shaoxing, with a total construction area of 81,189.85 square meters. The facilities will include office buildings, underground parking lots, laboratories, manufacturing workshops, and systems for treating waste. Focusing on the long-standing challenge in China related to biodegradable materials, the company will adopt its own continuously flowing technology for the production of caprolactone and polycaprolactone, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional reaction kettle processes and addressing the issues associated with mass production. The facility will be capable of producing 30,000 tons per year of caprolactone monomer as well as various grades of polycaprolactone products (the construction will take place in two phases: in the first phase, all the building works and a production line with an output of 10,000 tons per year will be completed; in the second phase, another production line with an output of 20,000 tons per year will be added). Additionally, 90,000 tons of acetic acid will be produced annually as a by-product. Upon completion of the project, it is expected to generate an additional annual sales revenue of 1,380.53 million yuan, profits of 246.69 million yuan, and tax revenues of 131.19 million yuan.