KAIST and Hanwha Solutions have developed a bio technology that uses waste resources to produce eco-friendly raw materials used in plastics and textiles.
The KAIST-Hanwha Solutions Future Technology Laboratory said on the 19th that it has secured a technology to produce "1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO)" by using glycerol, a byproduct generated during biodiesel production, in collaboration with Hanwha Solutions. The research was published on the 12th (local time) in the international journal "Nature Chemical Engineering" and was also selected as the cover paper for the May issue.
1,3-PDO is a chemical used in plastics, textiles, and cosmetic ingredients. Production has largely relied on petrochemical feedstocks, but with recent volatility in naphtha prices and rising supply instability, interest is growing in alternative raw materials and production methods.
The researchers used discarded glycerol as a feedstock and developed a high-efficiency microorganism that converts it into 1,3-PDO. They designed the metabolic pathway so the microorganism breaks down the feedstock and produces the target substance, and they adjusted the fermentation conditions to fit industrial processes.
This technology is meaningful in that it confirmed the possibility of real-world process application beyond the lab scale. The researchers also succeeded in maintaining high productivity in a 300-liter pilot process. A pilot process is an intermediate step that verifies whether a technology operates reliably before being applied to a large plant.
They also applied a digital design technology that pre-designs the metabolic pathways of microorganisms through computer simulation. They introduced a method to stably operate the microbial process without antibiotics, confirming the potential to reduce production expense and the burden of environmental regulations.
Lee Sang-yeop, a distinguished professor in KAIST's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, said, "This is a case showing that microbial production of chemicals can expand from the lab to an industrial scale," adding, "It could be used to produce various chemical materials in an eco-friendly way going forward."
References
Nature Chemical Engineering (2026), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-026-00389-w