BEIJING, Aug. 21 (APP): Turning corn cobs into “cash” is no longer just a saying in Inner Mongolia. Through fully automated processing, Inner Mongolia Xinlianxin Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is transforming agricultural waste into high-value products, generating millions of yuan for local farmers.
Du Shuyuan, the company’s vice general manager, explained that corn cobs are processed in fully automated, unmanned facilities to extract furfural, a chemical used in synthetic resins, fragrances, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and petroleum refining. Any leftover residue is recycled for power generation or fertilizer, creating a zero-waste production cycle.
“The project produces up to 20,000 tons of furfural annually. Using corn cobs as raw material, we collect 250,000 tons each year from a 200-kilometer radius,” Du said. “Transporting these cobs from rural areas to the factory provides an additional 80 to 100 million yuan in income for farmers involved in planting, collection, loading, transport, and sorting.”
The facility features two 35-ton-per-hour medium-temperature, sub-high-pressure circulating fluidized bed biomass boilers and a 5 MW centripetal turbine generator. It delivers high thermal efficiency, top-quality steam, and low emissions. After treatment, flue gas meets ultra-low emission standards. The plant also reduces coal use by 66,000 tons per year and cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 180,000 tons annually. By turning waste into value and recycling resources, the project achieves energy savings, carbon reduction, and higher efficiency, contributing to China’s peak carbon and carbon neutrality goals, CEN reported on Thursday.
“Unlike traditional furfural producers, we collect and treat all wastewater and emissions, creating a near-zero-pollution, fully circular system,” said Lv Yunchen, vice general manager of Xinlianxin Biotechnology. “Next, we plan to use boiler ash, furfural residue, and other organic materials to make organic fertilizer for compacted soils and saline-alkali lands. This will further improve our manufacturing capabilities and support a greener, low-carbon transformation across the region and industry.”
Du concludes that the model combines agricultural value growth, industrial carbon reduction, and higher farmer income, creating a fully closed-loop system from field to factory. He noted that countries like Pakistan, with abundant corn production, could adopt similar technology to manage crop residues and develop new industries in energy, pharmaceuticals, and casting.