Cathay Industrial Biotech

Cathay Industrial Biotech operates as a publicly-traded company on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR market, specializing in the research, development, production, and sale of bio-based materials through synthetic biology and bio-manufacturing. The company was founded in 2000 by Dr. Xiucai Liu, who serves as the Chairman and CEO. Dr. Liu's background includes a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and postdoctoral positions at Yale and Columbia, providing a strong scientific foundation for the company's focus on industrial biotechnology. A key milestone was the company's IPO on the STAR market in August 2020.

The core of Cathay's business is the production of alternatives to petrochemical-based products, utilizing renewable resources like corn and other crop stalks. Revenue is generated through direct sales of its bio-based products and through strategic partnerships for technology and product development. The company's business model is vertically integrated, spanning from monomer production to polymer synthesis, serving a global client base that includes prominent companies like DuPont, Evonik, and Novo Nordisk. Cathay's primary offerings include a series of long-chain dicarboxylic acids (LCDAs), bio-based pentamethylene diamine (PDA), and bio-based polyamides. The company is a world-leading supplier of bio-manufactured LCDAs, which are used in applications such as nylons, resins, adhesives, and fragrances.

Cathay's main product lines are its bio-based monomers and its subsequent polyamide brands, TERRYL® for textiles and ECOPENT® for engineering applications. The bio-based polyamides (PA5X series) are created from the company's own bio-manufactured PDA and various diacids. These materials offer distinct properties such as inherent flame retardance, high toughness, and low moisture absorption, which stem from their odd-numbered carbon molecular structure. This positions them as sustainable alternatives in markets like automotive, electronics, textiles, and consumer goods, aiming to reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional petroleum-based nylons.

Keywords: synthetic biology, bio-based materials, industrial biotechnology, polyamides, long-chain dicarboxylic acids, pentamethylene diamine, bio-manufacturing, renewable feedstock, chemical alternatives, biomaterials, sustainable chemicals, bioplastics, fermentation process, bio-based polymers, green chemistry, bio-composites, engineering plastics, specialty chemicals, textile materials, automotive materials