South Korea's Chemical Giant Leads National Project to Accelerate Commercialization of Bio-Based 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid (3-HP)

Recently, South Korean comprehensive chemical group NOROO Holdings announced that it has been selected as the leading executing agency for the national key project "Development of Raw Material Production and High Value-Added Product Technologies to Promote the Development of the Bio-Based Polymer Market." This flagship project is supported by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Evaluation under the Ministry of Industry of South Korea.

In this project, NOROO Holdings will oversee the entire process from raw material procurement to production and conduct mass production verification for the production of 3-HP (3-hydroxypropionic acid) using waste biomass.

The main sub-projects include:

Develop bio-based acrylic polymer materials.

▲ Validate large-scale production of 3-HP using waste biomass;

Validation of bio-based acrylic acid production based on the 3-HP catalytic reaction.

3-Hydroxypropionic acid is listed by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of the "Top 12 Biobased Platform Chemicals." It is a versatile chemical intermediate that can be used to produce a variety of high-value products, including cosmetics, industrial coatings, and environmentally friendly plastics. As a viable alternative to petroleum-based raw materials, this chemical has also become a key material in the industrial system's transition towards carbon neutrality.

3-HP Reactor at NOROO Group Research Center

One of the major features of this project is the formation of a strong industry-university-research collaboration alliance, bringing together top research institutions and industry partners to create a complete innovation chain that spans from basic research and advanced process engineering to downstream commercial applications.

The project will also generate significant synergies for NOROO’s core businesses, especially benefiting its flagship coatings subsidiary, NOROO Coatings Co., Ltd., which is well known for its advanced coatings and chemical technologies. NOROO Coatings is responsible for carrying out the “demonstration of synthesizing bio-based acrylic acid through catalytic conversion of 3-HP” task, and will lead the processes related to converting this chemical intermediate into industrial raw materials. Through this effort, the company will focus on researching the replacement of conventional acrylic acid, which is produced entirely through petrochemical processes, with sustainable bio-based feedstocks.

NOROO plans to apply 3-HP-derived materials to automotive coatings, industrial paints, and architectural finish coatings, thereby strengthening its competitiveness in the rapidly growing market for sustainable, premium, eco-friendly, and high-performance materials.

The company also stated that this initiative aligns with the national policy goals of South Korea: "The Ministry of Industry of Korea vigorously supports various R&D projects, fully reflecting the strong determination to develop the industrial biotechnology materials industry system. NOROO Holdings is honored to lead this green transformation while demonstrating that the new generation of chemical alternative raw materials possesses both environmental attributes and economic value."

NOROO Bio Fusion Research Institute, a specialized R&D organization under the NOROO Group, has spent more than a decade advancing microbial strain engineering and biosynthesis technologies, with a strong focus on the production and development of 3-HP. The institute has successfully established a 5-ton-scale production facility and verified the stability of its manufacturing process, obtained EU REACH registration for 3-HP derivatives, and confirmed that these derivatives achieve a biodegradation rate of up to 99% within 28 days. These solid achievements have laid a strong foundation for the rapid commercialization of its products and expansion into global markets.