Carbon-Negative Bio-Based Citric Acid Achieves Production Breakthrough, Gains ISCC PLUS Certification, Providing Renewable Platform Molecule for Food, Detergent, and Material Industries

Driven by global circular economy and carbon neutrality goals, the industrial foundation of citric acid—the world's highest-volume organic acid—is undergoing a fundamental shift from traditional grain fermentation to non-food biomass feedstocks. Recently, a full-lifecycle carbon-negative citric acid, produced via engineered yeast strain fermentation using lignocellulosic hydrolysate sugars as raw material, has achieved 10,000-ton scale industrialization and obtained International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS mass balance certification. This not only provides a "green label" ingredient for the food and beverage industry but also opens up a new pathway for its use as a renewable platform molecule in eco-friendly detergents and biodegradable materials.

1. Technical Milestone: Non-Food Feedstock and Metabolic Engineering Breakthrough
The core of this industrialization lies in completely eliminating dependence on food crops like corn and potatoes, achieving dual green innovation in both feedstock and process:

1. Lignocellulosic Saccharification and Tolerant Strain Development

• Feedstock Breakthrough: Utilizes mixed C6 and C5 sugars obtained from the enzymatic hydrolysis of agricultural waste (e.g., straw, bagasse) as fermentation substrate, enabling full-component utilization of non-food biomass and establishing a carbon-negative foundation from the source.

• Strain Revolution: Metabolic engineering of industrial Aspergillus niger strains increased their tolerance to inhibitors like furfurals and phenolic acids generated during pretreatment tenfold. In high-concentration mixed sugar environments, citric acid yield reached 1.4 g/g sugar, approaching the theoretical maximum.

• Integrated membrane filtration pre-concentration and continuous ion exchange desalination technologies, replacing the traditional calcium salt method, reducing energy consumption in the crystallization step by 60% and eliminating calcium sulfate gypsum waste.

• After anaerobic digestion for methane production, fermentation wastewater is recycled back into the process, achieving a water recovery rate >85%.

2. Sustainability Certifications and Carbon Footprint Advantage
The product's environmental benefits are backed by quantifiable, traceable authoritative certifications:

3. Market Impact: From Food Acidulant to Green Platform Molecule
The carbon-negative attribute unlocks new growth spaces for citric acid beyond its traditional food applications:

• Core Ingredient for Green Detergents:

• As a key precursor for producing sodium citrate (a new non-phosphate detergent builder) and methylglycinediacetic acid (MGDA, a powerful chelating agent), it provides the detergent industry with a fully biodegradable "from plant to bottle" solution. A European cleaning brand has already used it in premium laundry capsules, reducing the product's carbon footprint by 30%.

• Precursor for Biomaterial Monomers:

• Through catalytic conversion, it can produce key bio-based polymer monomers like itaconic acid and acrylic acid, used in manufacturing high-value-added water treatment resins, superabsorbent materials, etc.

• Upgrade for the Food & Beverage Industry:

• Its "carbon-negative" attribute provides strong marketing support and a supply chain decarbonization tool for food and beverage giants pursuing ESG goals.

4. Corporate Collaboration and Regional Production Layout
To reduce feedstock logistics costs and promote regional circular economies, the manufacturer adopts an innovative distributed production model:

• Collaboration with Large Agricultural Groups: Co-establish integrated plants in major sugarcane and wheat producing regions to enable on-site conversion of agricultural waste.

• Regional Biorefinery Hubs: Planning regional production centers in Southeast Asia (palm empty fruit bunches) and Europe (wheat straw).

• Customer Customization Program: Provides "dedicated green batches" with unique traceability codes for long-term contract customers, assisting them in Scope 3 emission accounting.

5. Verifiable Data and Safety Compliance
All claims are based on verifiable standards and data:

• Product Standards: Purity, optical rotation, and other indicators comply with FCC, USP, and GB 1886.235 food additive standards.

• Traceability & Certification: Each batch can be traced via the ISCC platform to query its corresponding sustainable feedstock quantity and carbon reduction amount.

• Safety Data: Identical to conventional citric acid, classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).

The scaled production of carbon-negative citric acid marks the entry of a bulk fermentation product into a new era where carbon management is the core competitive advantage. It successfully transforms an environmental burden into product added value, not only solidifying its position as a "green acidulant" in the traditional food sector but, more importantly, demonstrating that through technological innovation, a mature, trillion-ton-scale bio-based platform molecule is fully capable of leading the green transformation of multiple downstream industries, providing quantifiable decarbonization pathways for hard-to-abate sectors like chemicals, materials, and daily chemicals.