The groundbreaking ceremony for a biological fermentation demonstration project took place on Nov 17 in Hanggin Banner, Ordos.

The groundbreaking ceremony. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan news]

The groundbreaking ceremony. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan news]

The project is a collaboration between Inner Mongolia Yitai Petrochemical Co and Jupeng Bio Co. It involves a total investment of 730 million yuan ($100.74 million) and covers an area of 310 mu (20.67 hectares).

It will adopt the continuous gas biological fermentation technology developed by Jupeng and use decarburized tail gas, untransformed purified gas, and CO₂ as raw materials. Through gas pretreatment, fermentation, distillation, and dehydration processes, it will produce anhydrous ethanol and new feed proteins.

The project is expected to be operational by the end of October 2025. Once completed, it can produce 100,000 metric tons of anhydrous ethanol, 20,000 tons of protein feed, and 10 million standard cubic meters of biological methane every year.

In addition, the project is expected to generate an average annual sales revenue of 705 million yuan, an average annual total profit of 154 million yuan, and a tax contribution of 38.56 million yuan.

As a sustainable development project, it simultaneously achieves multiple goals: utilizing industrial off-gas and CO₂ for bioethanol production, repurposing CO₂ from coal chemical processes, and producing high-quality microbial protein as a by-product.

Furthermore, it will lower production costs, and strengthen and extend the industrial chain, providing a continuous driving force for the chemical industry in Hanggin Banner.