On May 29, 2026, supported by CIAC's independently developed supercritical polymerization industrialization technology, the world's largest single-unit poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) industrial production facility — the Lianhong Gerun 50,000 tons/year project — was successfully commissioned. This marks the completion of a full-chain technological breakthrough from small-scale experiments and pilot tests to a 50,000-ton industrial facility for CO₂-based plastic research results, achieved through more than 20 years of sustained effort. The new generation of PPC products belongs to soil-environmentally degradable plastics (ePPC), which can address persistent problems such as white pollution and agricultural film residue, and will be widely applied in agricultural mulch films, food wrap, express delivery packaging, and disposable food service packaging.

Figure 1. The 50,000-ton PPC production facility.

Researcher Wang Xianhong's team at CIAC has long been deeply engaged in CO₂ fixation and utilization, achieving a series of original results in catalytic systems, polymerization mechanisms, and reaction engineering. The team developed a fourth-generation multi-nuclear zinc catalyst supercritical polymerization route, which offers higher reaction efficiency, higher product molecular weight, and stronger cost competitiveness. Facing an entirely new technological pathway with no mature cases or ready-made experience to draw upon, the team collaborated closely with Lianhong Gerun Company and Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering Co., Ltd., overcoming technical bottlenecks in catalyst activity control, high-viscosity material transport, supercritical reaction system regulation, and product purification, and resolving the industry-wide challenge of stable operation from the laboratory to the 10,000-ton scale.

In 2021, CIAC signed a cooperation agreement with Lianhong Gerun to jointly advance the development of PPC supercritical polymerization industrialization technology based on the fourth-generation multi-nuclear zinc catalyst. In 2022, both parties launched industrial scale-up work. Over four years, the CIAC R&D team, together with its partners, led the small-scale and pilot-scale work, and participated deeply in the design and process parameter confirmation of the 10,000-ton industrial facility. Particularly during the startup phase, facing challenges such as complex reaction systems and multi-system cascading, the team overcame key hurdles including catalyst activity control, supercritical reaction system control, and high-viscosity material transport, ensuring stable operation of the facility.

The successful commissioning of the 50,000-ton PPC facility is a landmark achievement for CIAC in pursuing original innovation, emphasizing basic research, and deepening the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation. This achievement has laid a solid foundation for China to lead the development of core technologies in CO₂ utilization and will助力 China's successful achievement of the "dual carbon" strategic goals.

Figure 2. CIAC technology supports the world's first 50,000-ton CO₂-based PPC production plant.

(Contributed by: Science and Technology Cooperation Division)