A full-chain technological achievement covering everything from raw materials to finished polyester fibers has brought the first-class National Science and Technology Progress Award to the chemical fiber industry for the first time. Announced on July 8, 2025, the award was given to the 'Key Technologies for Green and Intelligent Manufacturing of the Polyester Fiber Industry Chain' project, led by Tongkun Group in collaboration with Donghua University, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, and seven other institutions. Simultaneously, the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award was granted to Prof. Elsa Reichmanis, a long-time collaborator with Donghua University, making the university the only one to win two national honors in this cycle.
The significance of this award lies not only in the honor itself but in filling a gap in the highest national science award for the full-chain technology of general fibers. Previous textile industry awards focused on niche areas like carbon fiber or intelligent dyeing equipment, but this project directly targets polyester fibers, which account for 70% of China's chemical fiber output. Its technical system is unprecedented in completeness and industrial coverage.
Three Core Technologies Reshape Industry Logic
After over a decade of collaborative research, the project team achieved systemic breakthroughs in three dimensions: green manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, and service-oriented manufacturing. In the green dimension, the team pioneered a direct PTA-PET coupling low-carbon production model, replacing traditional heavy metal catalysts with environmentally friendly titanium-based catalysts, and developed crude oil-based chemical fiber oils and full lifecycle green standards.
On the intelligent manufacturing front, full-process automation equipment was upgraded, DCS control systems achieved large-scale domestic substitution, and an integrated process-quality control system was established. This means polyester lines that once relied on imported core control systems now have a replicable domestic solution. More critically, the service-oriented manufacturing dimension introduced an innovative 'multi-head multi-tail' series-parallel composite polymerization platform, paired with a 'one-head three-tail' modular digital linkage, enabling rapid switching between different specifications of differentiated polyester fibers.
To date, the project has generated 76 authorized invention patents, 10 software copyrights, and 14 national and industry standards. An expert panel confirmed the technology is internationally leading. Results have been deployed in industrial bases in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang, and at over 10 enterprises, cumulatively adding over 200 billion yuan in new sales, over 10 billion yuan in profits and taxes, and $1.8 billion in export earnings.
Dual Benefits for Industrial Clusters and Leading Enterprises
As the project leader, Tongkun Group was selected as one of China's first 'Zero-Waste Enterprise' models and named a 'National Service-Oriented Manufacturing Demonstration Enterprise' and 'National Excellent Smart Manufacturing Demonstration Factory'. For the polyester cluster in Tongxiang, Zhejiang, and the broader Yangtze River Delta, this technology reduces energy consumption and defect rates while providing a technological moat against industrial relocation pressures.
Polyester fibers are the 'industrial staple' of textiles. Their upgrade directly impacts cost structures and quality for downstream fabrics, apparel, and home textiles. After project rollout, buyers will access more stable, low-carbon differentiated fibers, and due to efficiency gains, raw material price volatility is expected to narrow. For companies long reliant on imported high-performance polyester chips, domestic alternatives mean significantly enhanced supply chain security.
Deeper Value of International Cooperation
The International Science and Technology Cooperation Award, announced alongside the first-class award, went to Prof. Elsa Reichmanis of Lehigh University. A specialist in semiconductor materials and flexible electronics, she has been deeply involved with Donghua University's State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials since 2013, co-training talents and publishing 18 high-level papers. Her award signals that internationalization in China's chemical fiber sector is not one-way technology import but two-way discipline building and talent cultivation.
For the industry, this model means that while domestic firms achieve independent control in polyester fiber chains, joint research with top global scholars can accelerate the industrialization of frontier materials like smart fibers and bio-based fibers, avoiding 'bottleneck' traps in new material competition.