The city of Wuhai in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region was recently approved to become the innovation center for the region's 1,4 - butanediol (BDO) industry.

The news was announced by the Inner Mongolia Department of Science and Technology at the Second China (Wuhai) BDO and Biodegradable Material Industry Development Conference, which was held in Wuhai on Oct 10.

During the conference, a strategic cooperation agreement was signed among the Wuhai municipal government, China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, and BDO Innovation Center for the construction of a BDO product trading center and a standard research center in Wuhai.

The China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation also declared Wuhai as the permanent host city for the China BDO Industry Development Conference.

BDO is a raw material that can produce a variety of products, including biodegradable plastics, spandex, and lithium battery solvents. The prospect for biodegradable plastic produced from BDO is particularly significant.

According to environmental authorities, over 10 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced globally, with 7 billion tons remaining in the environment. This constitutes a major environmental pollutant. Developing biodegradable plastics is an effective way to address this issue.

Wuhai is focusing on the development of the biodegradable material industry as a cornerstone of its economic transformation and development strategy.

It currently has five BDO projects under construction or already operating, with an investment of 56.6 billion yuan ($7.75 billion). It has also eight downstream support projects.