"Addressing Naphtha Supply Instability" KAIST and Hanwha Develop Naphtha-Alternative Biotechnology

A new biotechnology has been developed to address instability in the supply of naphtha. Naphtha is an essential feedstock for the petrochemical industry, and recent price spikes and supply disruptions have heightened the need for alternative raw materials. The newly developed biotechnology is significant in that it enables the use of 'glycerol,' a byproduct discarded during biodiesel production, as a substitute for naphtha.

(From the left) Hyunbae Bang, Ph.D. at Hanwha Solutions; Chunwoo Moon, Ph.D. candidate at KAIST; Cindy, Ph.D. at KAIST; Minjung Ki, Ph.D. candidate at KAIST; Sangyup Lee, Professor at KAIST; Changhee Jo, Ph.D. at Hanwha Solutions; (From the top left) Jaesung Jo, Ph.D. at KAIST; Namjin Jang, Ph.D. at Hanwha Solutions. KAIST

KAIST announced on May 19 that the KAIST-Hanwha Solutions Future Technology Research Institute, in collaboration with Hanwha Solutions, has secured a biotechnology that enables mass production of eco-friendly raw materials for plastics and fibers by utilizing waste resources.

The joint research team developed a highly efficient microorganism that produces '1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO),' a core material for plastics and cosmetics, using glycerol as a feedstock to convert discarded waste resources into high-value-added materials. They also optimized the fermentation process.

Notably, this technology has reached a level suitable for practical industrial application. The joint research team succeeded in maintaining high productivity not only at the laboratory scale but also in a 300-liter pilot-scale process. This achievement demonstrates that results obtained in the laboratory can be reproduced in actual factories, thereby enhancing the technology's level of completion.

The research team adopted 'digital design technology,' which allows metabolic pathways of microorganisms to be pre-designed via computer simulation, and a 'non-antibiotic process' that stably extracts feedstock without antibiotics. These approaches reduced production costs and mitigated environmental regulatory risks.

The research results (paper) were published in Nature Chemical Engineering on May 12 and are expected to be selected as the cover article for the May issue.

The joint research team also achieved results by filing six patent applications and publishing thirteen papers related to the development of eco-friendly bio platforms.

Kim Jeongdae, Head of the Research Institute at Hanwha Solutions, stated, "This study is meaningful in that it confirms the potential to replace existing petrochemical processes with bio-based raw materials. The results of the research will provide an important foundation for sustainable chemical material production and industrial application in the future."

Lee Sangyup, Distinguished Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST, said, "This study demonstrates that the microbial production of chemicals can be realized in industrial settings outside the laboratory."

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