European Bioplastics conference 2024: Zhongke Guosheng Technology talks furan-based pack potential

The European Bioplastics Conference 2024 will convene next week, December 10–11, at the Titanic Hotel in Berlin, Germany. The forum will bring together leaders across the bioplastics value chain to discuss a future strategy for the industry and explore sustainable packaging solutions.

Zhongke Guosheng Technology, a Chinese company specializing in the furan-based platform compound 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and its derivatives industry chain, will attend the conference. The company has extensive research and industrialization experience in biomass catalytic conversion, furan material design along with chemical production and has completed multiple rounds of financing.

2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a structurally significant monomer that can replace petroleum-based terephthalic acid (PTA). PTA is an organic compound that is the traditional raw material for PET and polyester fibers.

Susan Zhu, global marketing director at Zhongke Guosheng Technology and one of this year’s conference speakers, tells Packaging Insights: “Industry collaborations can play a key role in the transition to a circular economy in Europe and beyond since this is something new to the market, lots to be developed.”

“Only relying on one or two players is not enough, we need to combine the strength of both upstream and downstream partners to further explore the potential of FDCA for a bio-based economy.”

Upstreaming bio-based resources

The conference agenda will highlight the latest developments in bio-based and biodegradable materials, innovative processing techniques, end-of-life solutions and sustainability-driven policy frameworks. 

“At this year’s conference, I will mainly talk about the market potential and applications of furan-based materials, including insights from our application research. I will also discuss Chinese policies on renewable materials and provide a brief overview of our company,” says Zhu.

One of the highlights from Zhongke Guosheng Technology is the company’s self-developed “SMART” catalytic system and “short process” production plan. The production plan has enabled cost-effective production of HMF and FDCA.

Zhongke Guosheng Technology achieved market layout and commercial sales of FDCA in multiple fields.“We have pioneered the continuous production process for both HMF and FDCA, which has significantly reduced the production cost and guaranteed stable production for long periods, requires limited labor input and has less carbon emission,” she explains.

“Since FDCA is the key monomer for the polymerization of polyethylene furanote (PEF), we helped to secure the upstream bio-based resources, decrease the production cost of PEF and promote this bio-based plastics industry to the next level. ”

Diverse applications

Zhongke Guosheng Technology provides essential components for sustainable packaging, including bio-based fibers, adhesives and special flame-retardant materials. It has also developed customized furan series products like tetrahydrofuran dimethanol and furan dimethylamine, catering to specific industrial needs.

Zhu shares with us that furan-based materials have diverse applications, including bio-based aramid fiber, which retains the properties of traditional aramid fiber while improving softness, dyeability and reducing carbon emissions in the textile industry. 

Other applications include PEF mono-layer and multi-layer bottles for wine, beer and carbonated drinks. Additionally, polyurethane hot melt adhesive derived from furan-based materials can be used in electronic devices.

Zhongke Guosheng Technology currently operates factories in Lishui and Taixing, China, with capacities of 100 and 10,000 tons, respectively.