A bio-based composite materials production facility with a total investment of 2.63 billion yuan ($373.4 million) restarted construction on April 7 in Harbin, capital city of China’s northernmost Heilongjiang province, according to local officials.
 
Bio-based composite material is based on renewable crops such as corn stalks and processed into polymer materials. Experts say it is a cost effective, environmentally friendly material that replaces traditional non-degradable petroleum-based materials.
 
The plant is being funded by Heilongjiang Xinda Enterprise Group Co Ltd – one of the earliest domestic manufacturers of special materials for automobiles.
 
The facility will be equipped with 42 bio-based composite materials production lines and six intermediate test production lines. These will mainly produce polylactic acid bio-based degradable materials, bio-based nylon materials and biomass lightweight materials.
 
The products will be mainly used in food packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, medical consumables, daily necessities, express packaging, daily packaging and other fields, which is of great importance to achieve complete degradation and solve plastic garbage pollution.
 
It is estimated that the project will be completed and put into production in December 2021.
 
The plant will generate annual revenue topping 5 billion yuan ($710 million) when starts full operations, employing 2,000 locals.
 
Officials said that it will further promote the marketization and scale-up of blow molding, injection molding and blister products required in the fields of food packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, medical equipment, daily necessities and other fields.