The 2025 National Science and Technology Awards have brought a historic breakthrough to the textile chemical fiber sector. The project 'Key Technologies for Green and Intelligent Manufacturing in the Polyester Fiber Industry Chain,' led by Tongkun Group and ten other units including Donghua University, won the First Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. This is the first time the award has been given for a full-chain technology in general-purpose fibers, signaling that China's chemical fiber industry has shifted from single-point technological breakthroughs to systematic self-reliance.
Background Polyester fiber is known as the 'industrial staple' of textiles, with China producing 70% of the world's chemical fibers, of which polyester fiber ranks first in output. This award is no accident. From 2012 to 2020, the textile sector achieved 28 national science and technology awards, covering specialty fibers, intelligent equipment, and green dyeing. Previous first-prize winners, such as Zhongfu Shenying's carbon fiber project (2017) and Shandong Kangpingna's bobbin dyeing project (2014), focused on specific products or processes. This polyester fiber project covers the entire chain from polymerization to spinning and texturing, making its technological system more comprehensive.
The project was led by Donghua University researcher Wang Huaping as the first completer, with deep involvement from teams including Academician Zhu Meifang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It involved over a decade of collaborative research between Tongkun Group and multiple research institutions. The project formed a complete intellectual property system including 76 authorized invention patents, 10 software copyrights, and 14 national and industry standards, with overall technology assessed as internationally leading.
Industry Impact The project achieved three core breakthroughs, directly changing the logic of polyester fiber production. In green manufacturing, it pioneered a direct PTA-PET coupling low-carbon model, developed environmentally friendly titanium-based catalysts, and established a full-life-cycle green standard, clearing the path for low-carbon production. This means that production processes previously reliant on imported catalysts and energy-intensive methods now have a self-controllable green solution.
In intelligent manufacturing, the project completed full-process automation equipment upgrades, achieved large-scale domestic substitution of DCS control systems, and established an integrated process-quality management system. For downstream buyers, this means significantly improved product quality stability and further reduced defect rates. In service-oriented manufacturing, the 'multi-head multi-tail' polymerization technology platform enabled differentiated polyester fiber customization and multi-region agile manufacturing, allowing factories to flexibly respond to small-batch, multi-variety market demands.
To date, results have been promoted in industrial bases in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang, as well as in over 10 industry units, with cumulative new sales exceeding 200 billion yuan, profits and taxes over 10 billion yuan, and export earnings of $1.8 billion. Tongkun Group has been selected as one of the first national 'Zero-Waste Enterprise' models and recognized as a national service-oriented manufacturing demonstration enterprise.