Fei's team develops a comprehensive technology-economy-carbon footprint evaluation system for biomanufacturing.

The chemical industry's heavy reliance on fossil resources has led to a surge in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and resource depletion, necessitating an urgent transformation of the traditional linear economic model.

Third-generation biomanufacturing, centered on the recycling and utilization of one-carbon feedstocks, has gradually emerged as a critical pathway for achieving sustainable chemical production. However, the industrialization of one-carbon substrate biomanufacturing faces challenges related to technological and economic bottlenecks, as well as environmental risks.

To address this, a team led by Professor Fei Qiang from Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) has developed the technology-economy-carbon footprint (TECA) holistic evaluation system for biomanufacturing.

This system includes techno-economic analysis (TEA)‌, which quantifies the relationship between process parameters and economic indicators to precisely identify cost trends and economic bottlenecks in industrialization.

It also includes life cycle assessment (LCA)‌, which tracks pollutant emissions across the entire product chain – from raw materials to waste disposal – to evaluate environmental benefits and provide risk warnings.

While previous studies have applied the TECA system for auxiliary evaluations of single products, a systematic assessment framework and forward-looking planning for the entire one-carbon biomanufacturing process remain underdeveloped.

Addressing this gap, Fei's team utilized the TECA platform, integrating the latest research findings and experimental data on the bioconversion of one-carbon feedstocks into chemicals, to conduct simulations and comprehensive analyses. Their work outlines a roadmap for scaling up one-carbon biomanufacturing from the laboratory to industrial levels.

These findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications under the title Economic and Sustainable Revolution to Facilitate One-Carbon Biomanufacturing.