A major national science award has brought the technological autonomy of the polyester fiber industry chain into sharp focus. The 2025 National Science and Technology Progress Award first prize was granted to a project led by Tongkun Group, in collaboration with Donghua University and nine other entities, for key technologies in green and intelligent manufacturing of the polyester fiber chain. This is not merely a ceremonial honor but a landmark signaling the industry's systemic leap from follower to leader in general-purpose fibers.
Technological Breakthrough: A Triple Closed-Loop from Green to Smart Manufacturing
The project team spent over a decade dismantling pain points across the entire polyester fiber chain. In green manufacturing, they pioneered a direct-coupled PTA-PET low-carbon production model and developed an environmentally friendly titanium-based catalyst to replace traditional heavy metal catalysts, reducing environmental load at the source. The application of crude oil-based fiber oils and green oiling technologies further clarified the full lifecycle carbon footprint.
On the intelligent manufacturing front, the project achieved full-process automation equipment localization, with DCS control systems deployed at scale in production settings, establishing an integrated process-quality management system. This 'China solution' has enhanced efficiency and reduced defect rates, offering a replicable upgrade template. Service-oriented manufacturing, through a 'multi-head, multi-tail' series-parallel composite polymerization platform, enables flexible customization of differentiated products and multi-region collaborative production, breaking the rigidity of traditional mass production.
Industry Impact: The Logic Behind 200 Billion Yuan in New Sales
To date, the project has yielded 76 authorized invention patents, 10 software copyrights, and 14 national and industry standards. According to publicly available industry data, the outcomes have been deployed across industrial clusters in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang, generating cumulative new sales exceeding 200 billion yuan, with profits and taxes over 10 billion yuan and export earnings of 1.8 billion US dollars. Behind these figures lie significant reductions in industry energy consumption and defect rates.
For downstream buyers, this means significantly improved quality consistency and supply flexibility of polyester fiber products. Products that once relied on imported equipment or specialized processes can now be rapidly customized via modular platforms, shortening the time from sampling to mass production. For chemical fiber factories, the promotion of intelligent manufacturing directly reduces labor dependence and operational costs, while green manufacturing helps companies pre-position under the 'dual carbon' policy to avoid future compliance risks.
International Collaboration: Open Innovation Boosts Global Influence
The concurrent award of the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award to Professor Elsa Reichmanis of Lehigh University highlights the industry's open innovation approach. Since 2013, she has deeply collaborated with Donghua University's State Key Laboratory for Advanced Fiber Materials, co-training talent and advancing international academic exchanges. This award demonstrates that Chinese textile innovation is not conducted in isolation but draws from global R&D networks.
From an industry perspective, this 'bringing in' and 'going out' model helps domestic enterprises more quickly access frontier materials science and smart manufacturing concepts. For foreign trade companies, deepened international collaboration means exported products can more easily align with technical standards and environmental certifications, reducing trade barriers.