A two-step process bio-BDO (Bio-Butanediol) facility was successfully put into operation in China in the first quarter of 2023. The new facility is developed and built by Shandong LanDian Biological Technology Co., Ltd., the second enterprise in China to mass-produce bio-BDO after YuanLi Chemical Group Co.,Ltd. It is also the second enterprise globally to use the two-step process to produce Bio-BDO.

The main processes for BDO production are acetylene-formaldehyde process, allyl alcohol process, butadiene process and maleic anhydride process. Suppliers that use bio-based BDO process include Novamont, Genomatica, BASF, DSM, Mitsubishi Chemical, Showa Denko, Toray Industries, Mersolat, etc. Currently the global total capacity of BDO is less than 100,000 tonnes per annum.

Although the process stability and product performance of bio-BDO need to be verified, its prospects are still optimistic by industrial players. It’s mainly because that bio-BDO, which is obtained by biological raw materials, is more cost-effective than petroleum-based BDO; bio-BDO is more eco-friendly as its entire production reduces greenhouse gas emissions more than 50%; and degradable plastics made from bio-BDO meet global biomass standards. Therefore, many companies are flooding into this field. China’s Kingfa Sci. & Tech is planning to start a 10 kT/a bio-BDO facility by end-2023. US-based Cargill is building a 65 kT/a bio-BDO capacity which is expected to start in 2024…

Thus, it can be seen that bio-BDO, which meets the goal of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan for Bioeconomic Development, has a huge market potential.