The 2025 National Science and Technology Awards have sent a powerful signal to the textile and chemical fiber industry. The project 'Key Technologies for Green and Intelligent Manufacturing in the Polyester Fiber Industry Chain,' led by Tongkun Group and involving ten institutions including Donghua University, won the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. This milestone achievement in the entire industry chain of general fibers signals a shift from scale-driven to technology-driven advantages.
Core Breakthroughs: Reshaping the Industry Ecosystem
The project, after over a decade of collaborative research, has built an independent and controllable advanced manufacturing system with breakthroughs in three dimensions. In green manufacturing, it pioneered a direct-coupled low-carbon production model for PTA-PET and developed environmentally friendly titanium-based catalysts, addressing the pressure of carbon reduction. This provides a replicable technical solution for sustainable polyester fiber production.
In intelligent manufacturing, the project upgraded the entire automation process and achieved large-scale domestic replacement of DCS control systems. This reduces investment costs and improves production line responsiveness. The integrated quality control system also ensures upstream stability for downstream fabric and garment sectors.
In service-oriented manufacturing, the project created a 'multi-head multi-tail' series-parallel composite polymerization platform, enabling customized production of differentiated polyester fibers. This flexibility allows faster response to brand demands for functional and differentiated fabrics.
Industry Impact: From 'Industrial Staple' to a Moat of Technology
Polyester fiber is the 'industrial staple' of textiles. China produces 70% of global chemical fiber, with polyester fiber ranking first. The project's technology directly impacts national economy and industry security. Results have been promoted in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, and over 10 other enterprises, generating over 200 billion yuan in new sales, 10 billion yuan in profits and taxes, and 1.8 billion USD in export earnings. These figures reflect significant reductions in energy consumption and defect rates, shifting competitiveness from cost to efficiency and quality.
For buyers, this means improved consistency and customization of upstream polyester fibers, enabling development of higher value-added products. For foreign trade companies, possessing proprietary green and intelligent manufacturing technologies can help circumvent environmental trade barriers and enhance export compliance and competitiveness.
Collaborative Innovation: A Model of Industry-University-Research and International Cooperation
The project's success is inseparable from deep involvement of universities like Donghua University. Researcher Wang Huaping served as the first completer, with teams led by Academician Zhu Meifang. This model of 'leading enterprises posing questions, universities solving problems, and the market verifying results' provides a replicable paradigm.
Meanwhile, Professor Elsa Reichmanis, a US academician, received the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. Her long-term collaboration with Donghua University in advanced fiber materials has introduced semiconductor material development thinking into fiber science, enhancing global influence.