Zhejiang Sugar Energy Technology Co in Daishan county, Zhoushan, Zhejiang province has made a significant breakthrough by mastering the key technology for the continuous production of thousand-ton 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, marking the world's first kiloton-scale bio-based project.
This innovative material has the potential to replace fossil-based products such as benzene and formaldehyde, according to Zhang Jian, founder of Sugar Energy.
This achievement is a result of Daishan's ongoing efforts to advance the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements. These efforts include establishing a series of scientific and technological innovation platforms, notably the Daishan New Materials Research Institute, which currently hosts seven new materials pilot projects and over 100 top-caliber talents in the field of new materials.
The institute is playing a crucial role in bridging the critical stages of research and development, pilot testing, and the commercialization and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, noted an official from the Daishan Science and Technology Bureau.
Authorities are also facilitating industrial upgrading and development by leveraging these pilot bases for industry-academia-research collaboration, talent cultivation and recruitment, technology transfer, and technical transactions.
Last year, Daishan collaborated with the Aerospace Sanjiang Laser Institute to establish the Advanced Laser Manufacturing Application Innovation Center and promoted the adoption and application of advanced laser manufacturing technology in its ship repair, shipbuilding, and marine engineering equipment sectors, effectively bridging the "last mile" from the laboratory to the production workshop.
Additionally, the local government has reformed its services and created a synergistic interaction between top-level design and market-based resource allocation in an effort to improve services and accelerate the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements.
Daishan is currently home to 50 high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises.
