Cathay Biotech Inc. is a listed company on the Shanghai stock exchange’s STAR market (symbol: 688065.SH). Cathay Biotech was founded in 2000 and engages in the research, development, production and sales of new bio-based materials based on synthetic biology and other disciplines and utilizes bio-manufacturing technology. Its headquarters and R&D center are located in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech park in Shanghai and the two production sites are in Jinxiang and Wusu, P.R.China. The third production site is in construction process in Taiyuan, also in China, which will expand the capacity of current 75kt/a long-chain diacids, 50kt/a pentanediamine and 100kt bio-based polyamides to much larger scale.
As a company focused on the polyamide industry chain, Cathay Biotech produces monomer raw materials that can be used in the production of bio-based polyamides, including a series of bio-manufactured long-chain diacids and bio-based pentamethylene diamine, as well as several bio-based polyamides and related products. The products are used in many applications in textiles, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, automobiles, electronic appliances, consumer goods and other fields.
Cathay Biotech is the leading supplier of bio-manufactured long-chain diacids worldwide. In 2018, Cathay’s long-chain diacids were rated as the individual champion product of the manufacturing industry by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the China Federation of Industrial Economics.
Pentamethylene diamine (PDA), produced from sustainable resources through Cathay’s proprietary process, can be widely used as an epoxy curing agent, an ingredient in hot melt adhesive formulations, diisocyanates and in other related applications. The substitution of hexamethylene diamine (HMDA) by Cathay’s PDA in the field of polyamides can solve the main bottleneck of the development of the domestic polyamide industry. Cathay’s PDA also provides the market and customers with new "biological manufacturing" materials made from renewable biomass raw materials. Moreover, PDA provides downstream bio-based polyamides and other products with excellent performance characteristics due to its odd-numbered carbon structure.
Cathay’s array of bio-based polyamide products, which are polymerized from the proprietary bio-based PDA and different diacids, have many excellent characteristics such as flame retardance, moisture absorption, easy dyeing, low warpage and high flowability, as well as the advantages of sustainable sourcing and low environmental impact. Based on its own bio-based polyamide products, Cathay launched the high-performance textile material TERRYL® for broad applications in clothing, carpets, industrial yarns and other textile fields. Based on the excellent properties such as high strength, high heat resistance and good dimensional stability, Cathay launched the engineering material ECOPENT®, which is used in automotive applications, electronics and electricals, industrial and consumer goods and other engineering material fields, and provides solutions for the sustainable development of our society.
Cathay Biotech will continue to promote the innovation of bio-based products and technologies based on our four core technologies, and to provide a positive force for the development of synthetic biology and bio-manufacturing to lead the sustainable development of technologies and industries.
Independent R&D
Cathay Biotech has focused on synthetic biology and the development and implementation of bio-manufacturing technology for more than 20 years. Cathay’s research efforts have provided a very significant foundation in the fields of synthetic biology, biological engineering, biochemical engineering, polymeric materials and engineering. Cathay has developed a leading platform for bio-manufacturing technology recognized worldwide, since it is the world's sole high-tech enterprise that has mastered the technology continuum from laboratory to industrial production resulting in the successful commercialization of several key products.
Cathay Biotech’s strategy is R&D driven. It pays close attention to the effective combination of R&D and product development, R&D and production, and continuously develops the theoretical research and industrialization practice of biological manufacturing.
At present, Cathay Biotech has four core technologies: ‘Development of microbial metabolic pathways and construction of highly efficient engineering bacteria by synthetic biology means’, ‘Technologies of microorganisms’ metabolic regulation and high efficiency conversion’, ‘Separation and purification technologies of biological transformation / fermentation systems’ and ‘Technologies of polymerization process and the downstream application development’. Within Cathay’s R&D, dedicated teams focus on synthetic biology, cell engineering, biochemical engineering, polymeric materials and plant design engineering.. Cathay Biotech has applied for more than 500 patents in these fields, and has received approval on more than 100 patents.
Headquarters, R&D
The headquarters and the R&D center of Cathay Biotech are located in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai. Over the years, Cathay has focused on the research and development of theoretical technologies and industrialization methods for biological manufacturing. Cathay has built interdisciplinary R&D teams with rich experience in molecular biology, chemistry, polymerization, materials applications and related aspects.
Cathay (Jinxiang) Site
The Cathay (Jinxiang) site successfully realized the industrialization of biological long-chain diacids at the polymerization-quality level in 2003. At present, the annual production capacity for biological long-chain diacids is 45,000 tons, and that of the bio-based polyamides' pilot line is 3,000 tons.
Cathay (Wusu) Site
The Cathay (Wusu) site has production lines for biological long-chain diacids with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons, bio-based PDA with 50,000 tons of annual capacity, and bio-based polyamides with 100,000 tons of annual capacity.
Cathay (Taiyuan) Site
The Cathay (Taiyuan) site is located in 'Shanxi Synthetic Biological Industry Ecological Park' of Yangqu Park of Shanxi Transition and Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone, which is include corn deep processing, bio-based pentanediamine, bio-based polyamide and biological long-chain dibasic acid and other projects.