At the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), Leaf Bio showcased its bio-based furan material system, which utilizes non-food biomass-such as straw and corn cobs-as a starting point.
"The raw materials for these garments and packaging products are non-food biomass sources like straw and corn cobs," explained Pan Xin, Director of Application Development at Leaf Bio, at the company's CIIE booth. "This is made possible by our established bio-based furan material system, which spans from core monomers to polymers and their downstream applications."
The process begins with agricultural and forestry residues-such as straw and corn cobs-which undergo complex processing to yield the key platform molecule: 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). This high-purity FDCA serves as a precursor for high-quality bio-based materials, including polyethylene furanoate (PEF). Through techniques like spinning and molding, these materials can be transformed into fibers, films, and other forms, with broad applications in textiles and apparel, food and beverage packaging, consumer electronics (3C), and the automotive industry.
Overcoming Key Technical Bottlenecks for FDCA
FDCA is considered one of the most promising bio-based platform compounds. Compared to petroleum-based polyesters, materials derived from FDCA offer superior gas barrier properties and enhanced heat resistance, while their relatively lower melting temperatures facilitate more efficient downstream processing.
Furthermore, Pan Xin noted, "When viewed across their entire life cycle, bio-based materials exhibit a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional petroleum-based counterparts, offering a new, raw-material-level solution for carbon reduction in downstream applications." Against the backdrop of "dual carbon" goals (peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality) and the global transition toward greener materials, replacing petroleum-based feedstocks with renewable biomass has become a vital strategic direction for the new materials industry.
Non-Food Carbon Sources: Straw, Corn Cobs, and Textile Waste
Through continuous process iteration, the company has developed conversion pathways for a variety of non-food biomass feedstocks, driving the high-value utilization of agricultural and forestry residues. Furthermore, waste cotton textiles, regenerated cellulose textiles, and their blends can be processed to extract cellulose, which is then converted back into bio-based furan materials-enabling high-value circular utilization.
"Industrialization capability is the key to bringing bio-based materials to the market," says Pan Xin. The company is consistently advancing its industrial footprint-spanning core monomers and polymers to fibers and downstream products-while collaborating with several leading international brands to jointly explore material solutions that balance functional performance with sustainability.
Scaling Up Industrialization: From the Thousand-Ton to the Ten-Thousand-Ton Level
In 2022, Leaf Bio completed the world's first thousand-ton-scale FDCA production line, successfully validating the process for transition from laboratory to industrial scale.
In 2024, the company completed validation of a hundred-ton-scale continuous pilot plant.
Subsequently, construction began on a ten-thousand-ton-scale continuous production line in Tongling, Anhui Province. With a total investment of approximately 1 billion RMB, the facility is designed for an annual output of 15,000 tons of FDCA, with an anticipated annual production value exceeding 1 billion RMB.
The company has reportedly entered into strategic partnerships with various enterprises across the industrial chain-including Xinfengming, Wankai New Materials, AkzoNobel, and Dali International-covering sectors such as fibers, textiles and apparel, packaging, and specialty materials.
