SDG
Overview
Since the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, countries have taken numerous steps to address global challenges. Nevertheless, progress toward several Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) remained slow. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, highlights persistent challenges in Climate Action (SDG 13), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3), and Life on Land (SDG 15). (1)
An important factor contributing to these challenges is the worldwide practice of open-field burning of agricultural straw. It is estimated that global crop residues amount to about 2.9 billion tonnes annually, about 40% of which—nearly 1.2 billion tonnes—are burned in the open. (2) Emissions from straw burning contribute substantially to fine particulate matter (haze events), estimated at 29% of global anthropogenic haze events, and can drive regional haze events spikes of up to 300% during burning seasons in China. (3) In China alone, roughly 90 million tonnes are still burned every year, worsening air pollution, increasing fire hazards, and inflicting irreversible damage on soil health and terrestrial biodiversity. (4)
Against this backdrop, project Lignodoc proposes an integrated chemical-biological platform to valorize lignin—the most recalcitrant, underutilized fraction of straw—into an essential medicine paracetamol. By providing a scalable pathway for lignin upcycling, Lignodoc directly addresses multiple SDGs. First, substituting lignin-derived intermediates for conventional petro-based feedstocks has the potential to lower carbon intensity and reduce process-related pollutants across both straw management and pharmaceutical manufacturing, advancing Climate Action (SDG 13). Second, converting a low-value agricultural residue into a high-value active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) exemplifies Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) within a circular bioeconomy framework. Third, by mitigating severe haze events associated with autumn–winter straw burning and establishing a renewable-resource-based supply route for paracetamol, the project may, over time, help decrease population-level risks for respiratory and cardiovascular disease while enhancing medicine supply-chain resilience—yielding dual benefits for Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3). Furthermore, by offering an alternative to field burning, the project reduces habitat contamination pressures, indirectly supporting conservation outcomes under Life on Land (SDG 15). Finally, the NEFU-China team translates synthetic biology into accessible learning through the outreach course “The Magical Genetic Code: DNA” and the creative “Maker Program,” inspiring the next generation of scientists and providing an innovative practice model for Quality Education (SDG 4).
SDG13: Climate Action
SDG Abstract
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG13) calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. (1) Open-field burning of crop residues is a significant driver that exacerbates the climate crisis; the resulting greenhouse gases and co-emitted pollutants directly cause regional haze and contribute to global warming. (4) In parallel, conventional chemical routes to paracetamol are carbon-intensive, imposing substantial process emissions and environmental burdens. Our project addresses both issues by creating an electrochemical–biological integrated pathway that valorizes lignin from agricultural straw into paracetamol, thereby eliminating the need for open burning at the source, directly reducing greenhouse-gas and air-pollutant emissions, and simultaneously lowering the carbon footprint of paracetamol manufacturing—an innovative mitigation strategy aligned with SDG13.
Problem Identification
Issue 1: Straw burning emits large quantities of greenhouse gases and pollutants
Open-field burning of crop residues is a widely practiced yet highly destructive waste-disposal method. Nearly 1.2 billion tonnes of straw are burned globally each year; incomplete combustion releases CO₂, CH₄, and the short-lived climate pollutant black carbon, markedly intensifying global warming. Straw burning accounts for ~29% of global haze events, and during burning seasons in China it can drive regional haze events surges of up to 300%, producing severe haze events. (3)
Issue 2: Conventional paracetamol production depends on fossil feedstocks and faces a carbon-footprint bottleneck
standard chemical synthesis of paracetamol (acetaminophen) relies on petroleum-derived intermediates such as phenol. This route entails energy-intensive, multi-step reactions with substantial pollution loads, generating large volumes of industrial wastewater and chemical wastes, and resulting in a significant lifecycle carbon footprint. (5)
Problem-Solving Approach
Solution to Problem 1
1.Establish a lignin → vanillic acid → paracetamol conversion route
We first apply an electrochemical valorization step to convert straw-derived lignin into the key intermediate vanillic acid, followed by biosynthesis of paracetamol from vanillic acid using engineered Escherichia coli. This route upcycles waste that would otherwise be open-burned into a high-value chemical, thereby eliminating pollutant emissions associated with the burning stage at the source.
2. Increase conversion efficiency to maximize emissions abatement
Through metabolic engineering and process optimization, we raised the paracetamol titer to 54.42 mg/L and the conversion yield to >92%, ensuring the pathway’s techno-economic feasibility and scalability so it can displace open-burning practices at larger scales.
Solution to Problem 2
Provide a sustainable biosynthetic alternative pathway
This project delivers a biosynthetic route that replaces non-renewable fossil feedstocks with renewable lignin, lowering the embedded carbon intensity of pharmaceutical manufacturing at the source. The pathway operates under milder reaction conditions, reducing reliance on energy-intensive high-temperature/high-pressure unit operations. Taken together, these features substantially reduce the cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of paracetamol production from both the feedstock and process dimensions.
Long-term Positive Impacts on SDG13
1. Direct and quantifiable emissions abatement
For each tonne of straw diverted from open burning and converted via this technology, approximately 1.5 tonnes CO₂-equivalent of greenhouse-gas emissions—as well as substantial haze events and NOx—are directly avoided. (6) At scale, deployment is expected to significantly improve regional air quality, reducing both the frequency and severity of haze events.
2. Driving a low-carbon transition in agriculture
The project offers an emissions-reducing, revenue-generating pathway for agricultural residue management, transforming a costly, polluting waste stream into a value-adding feedstock. This markedly strengthens farmers’ incentives to participate in climate action and advances the sector’s contribution to carbon-neutrality goals.
3. Shaping a new green-pharmaceutical paradigm
By validating a sustainable route from agricultural waste to a widely used medicine, the project provides a novel solution for decarbonizing pharmaceutical industry.
Potential Adverse Impacts on SDG13
Indirect land-use change (ILUC) risk:
If the market value of straw increases sharply, farmers may expand cultivation to obtain more residues, leading to the conversion of carbon-sink ecosystems (e.g., forests and grasslands) into cropland and thereby inducing additional greenhouse-gas emissions. This risk can be mitigated through sustainable agricultural management policies.
Synergistic Impacts on Other SDGs
SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being
Effective climate action that curbs straw burning will directly improve air quality, thereby reducing respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity attributable to air pollution. This, in turn, lightens the public-health burden and elevates population-level health outcomes.
SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
Climate action coupled with a circular economy:
By substituting straw for petroleum-derived feedstocks to produce chemicals, the technology simultaneously addresses the climate crisis and accelerates the transition to a circular bioeconomy. Ambitious climate targets act as a forcing function for the adoption and diffusion of greener production and consumption models, steering industrial systems toward more sustainable operation.
Stakeholder Feedback
In our climate-risk perception survey, most respondents recognized that valorizing straw in lieu of open burning can reduce haze events and greenhouse-gas emissions, yet they also flagged potential “carbon transfer” from collection and transport, the high carbon intensity of process electricity, and risks from wastewater and solid-residue management. Guided by this feedback, we will prioritize a renewables-powered electrochemical–biological integrated pathway for scale-up, set an upper bound on the straw collection radius, and conduct cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment (LCA) across the full process; in parallel, we will openly disclose key indicators—such as CO₂ abated per tonne of straw, wastewater-treatment performance, and residue handling—and run demonstrations and science outreach in schools and community venues to ensure that real emissions reductions both occur and are credibly observed.
SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG Abstract
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG12) seeks to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Its core mandates include efficient use of natural resources, substantial waste reduction through prevention, minimization, recycling and reuse, and incentivizing enterprises to adopt sustainable production practices. (1) Nearly 1.2 billion tonnes of agricultural straw are openly burned each year worldwide, representing a major loss of recoverable biomass and a significant source of environmental pollution. (2)Our project establishes a lignin → vanillic acid → paracetamol pathway that upgrades agricultural residues into a high-value chemical, fundamentally transforming straw management and directly advancing SDG12 by coupling resource efficiency with waste valorization in a circular bioeconomy framework.
Problem Identification
Issue 1: Under-utilization of lignin in crop residues—open burning wastes resources and pollutes the environment
Although straw contains abundant lignin, it is notoriously difficult to valorize: only ~2% of lignin is converted into high-value chemicals globally, while the vast majority is still disposed of by open burning. (3) This treatment paradigm squanders a valuable biogenic carbon resource and exacerbates environmental and climate risks.
Issue 2: Conventional paracetamol manufacturing is energy-intensive and highly polluting
Current pharmaceutical practice relies on petroleum-derived feedstocks and multi-step chemical synthesis to produce paracetamol (acetaminophen). The process is energy-demanding and generates large volumes of industrial effluents containing organic pollutants and chemical wastes, imposing a persistent environmental burden. (5)
Problem-Solving Approach
Solution to Problem 1
Opening a new lignin valorization route:
We employ a green electrochemical depolymerization to convert lignin into vanillic acid, thereby transforming the hard-to-utilize lignin—reported to constitute >70% of straw cell-wall components—from a waste stream into a key precursor for pharmaceutical synthesis. (7)
Solution to Problem 2
1. Replace fossil inputs with renewable feedstocks:
Use renewable lignin to fully substitute petroleum-derived phenol and related substrates, reducing dependence on non-renewables at the source and alleviating the high energy demand and pollution burdens associated with conventional chemical synthesis.
2.Optimize the production process to enhance resource efficiency:
Through metabolic engineering, increase the vanillic-acid → paracetamol conversion yield to >92%, markedly improving feedstock utilization while reducing by-products and wastes.
Long-term Positive Impacts on SDG12
1. Elevating resource-use efficiency—turning waste into value
By converting straw that would otherwise be burned into a higher-value pharmaceutical, the project markedly improves material and energy productivity within agro-ecosystems and offers a high-potential, sustainable management pathway for the ~2.9 billion tonnes of straw generated annually worldwide.
2.Advancing the circular economy
By building a loop between agriculture and pharmaceutical manufacturing—transforming agricultural residues into drug precursors—the project simultaneously reduces dependence on fossil extraction and alleviates environmental pressures associated with straw burning.
3. A demonstrator for green chemistry and green pharmaceuticals
work validates the feasibility of biomass-based feedstocks and chemo-biosynthetic green routes, providing a technical template and innovation pathway for the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors to lower environmental footprints and develop more sustainable production processes.
Potential Adverse Impacts on SDG12
Secondary-pollution risks during scale-up:
In real-world operations, lignin pretreatment and electrochemical depolymerization may generate hazardous chemicals if process controls are inadequate, potentially causing localized water or soil contamination. These risks can be mitigated through green-process upgrades (greener solvents/reagents, closed-loop systems) and strict waste-management protocols.
Synergistic Impacts on Other SDGs
SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
Green circular-industry upgrading catalyzes new value chains:
By establishing a circular-economy model based on waste straw, the project can create new green jobs spanning collection, preprocessing, biorefining, and green-pharmaceutical manufacturing, thereby fostering inclusive, sustainable economic growth and providing more dignified economic opportunities—particularly in underdeveloped regions.
Stakeholder Feedback
During our consultation with experts from Shengquan Group(anonymous）, they highlighted the limitation that current straw management still relies primarily on open burning and field incorporation. They pointed out that both of methods pose significant environmental and agronomic risks: burning causes severe air pollution and health hazards, while return-to-field method, under suboptimal decomposition conditions, can damage soil structure and hinder cultivation under suboptimal decomposition conditions. The experts emphasized that converting straw into high value–added products is a more sustainable and economically attractive direction, aligned with circular-economy and green-manufacturing trends. This perspective strongly supports our project’s approach that closely mirrors our route of fractionating straw into lignin and subsequently converting the platform intermediate vanillic acid into the common analgesic, paracetamol.
Assessing our project’s feasibility across economic benefits, technical viability, and feedstock supply, the experts considered our lignin-fractionation strategy and the downstream vanillic acid to paracetamol conversion to have breakthrough application potential. They further underscored the critical role of government support in market guidance, subsidy policy, and value-chain integration to ensure stable straw supply and efficient conversion at scale.
Acting on these recommendations, we will prioritize the refinement of clean-production SOPs, establish a transparent disclosure mechanism for key environmental KPIs, and develop a third-party-verifiable green product label. In this way, we will translate our technical advantages into a quantifiable, comparable, and procurable market value proposition, and thereby concretely advancing SDG12(Responsible Consumption and Production).
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
SDG Abstract
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for people of all ages. Its achievement depends not only on disease control but also on addressing environmental determinants of health driven by pollution. (1) Open-field burning of straw emits haze events and other pollutants that are major environmental risk factors for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. (8) By reducing straw burning at the source to improve air quality, this project contributes directly—through primary prevention—to the attainment of SDG3.
Problem Identification
Air pollution from straw burning poses a severe public-health hazard
Straw burning is a key driver of regional haze. Emitted haze events and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons penetrate the alveoli and enter the systemic circulation. In China, straw-burning seasons can trigger regional haze events spikes of up to 300% (3), which substantially increase morbidity and mortality from asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer, and other respiratory conditions, and also inflict serious harm on the cardiovascular system, placing a heavy burden on public-health services.
Problem-Solving Approach
Eliminate the pollution source to improve air quality at its root
By establishing a chemo-biological integrated conversion pathway—lignin → vanillic acid → paracetamol, the project offers a high-value alternative to burning for straw management. For each tonne of straw diverted from open burning and successfully converted, large quantities of harmful combustion pollutants are directly avoided, thereby reducing environmental risk factors that drive respiratory and cardiovascular disease and yielding population-level public-health gains through prevention.
Long-term Positive Impacts on SDG3
1.Marked reduction in respiratory disease burden:
Scaled deployment will curb autumn–winter heavy-pollution episodes linked to straw burning and, over time, lower population risks of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, easing household medical costs and the pressure on public-health systems.
2. Stable and greener supply of essential medicines:
A renewable-resource-based route for paracetamol reduces dependence on fossil feedstocks and strengthens supply-chain resilience and sustainability, helping to ensure reliable global availability even under petroleum constraints.
Potential Adverse Impacts on SDG3
Biosafety risks
If engineered strains were to escape during production or residual cells contaminated the final product, potential biosafety issues could arise. Although the probability is low, the risk must be eliminated through stringent strain containment, robust purification processes, and rigorous quality-control standards to ensure medication safety.
Synergistic Impacts on Other SDGs
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Healthier populations, higher productivity:
Improvements in air quality and access to affordable essential medicines enhance population health, which can translate into higher labor productivity and greater participation in economic activity, underpinning inclusive, sustainable growth.
SDG 4 Quality Education
Health as a prerequisite for learning:
By reducing air-pollution-related pediatric respiratory disease, the project can raise school attendance and protect children’s right to quality education, decreasing absenteeism due to illness and helping to break cycles of illness-induced poverty and learning loss.
Stakeholder Feedback
To assess our project’s health implications from a public-health perspective, we consulted physicians at the Northeast Forestry University University Health Center(anonymous). Based on their clinical observations, the autumn–winter peak in straw burning each year is always followed by a marked rise in clinical cases of acute respiratory infections (ARIs), asthma exacerbations, and allergic rhinitis. This pattern provides clear evidence of the immediate and adverse health impacts of regional air pollution.
physicians characterized our project, which eliminates, straw burning at the source through technological means, constitutes an effective preventive public-health intervention. By reducing ambient concentrations of haze events and other pollutants, our approach would directly lower the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease risks among faculty, students, and surrounding communities, thereby alleviating individual suffering and reducing the burden on the healthcare system. They emphasized that addressing environmental determinants of health is more fundamental than treating illness after their onset.
Guided by this professional assessment, we plan to collaborate with local health authorities in our demonstration zones. By tracking changes in outpatient visits for respiratory diseases, we will be able to rigorously quantify the project’s contribution to SDG3, making the health benefits “visible and tangible.”
SDG15: Life on Land
SDG Abstract
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG15) aims to protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems; sustainably manage forests; combat desertification; halt and reverse land degradation; and curb biodiversity loss. (1) Open-field burning of straw constitutes a direct disturbance to terrestrial ecosystems, driving loss of soil organic matter, sharp declines in microbial communities, and reductions in land productivity. (9) By providing a high-value utilization pathway for straw, this project seeks to eliminate burning at its source, protecting soil health and biodiversity and contributing indirectly to land restoration, thereby directly supporting SDG15.
Problem Identification
Issue 1: Straw burning directly degrades soil ecosystems
Burning is not a simple removal of biomass; it is a severe ecological disturbance. Each tonne of straw burned can cause ~11–22% loss of topsoil organic matter and a ~50–72% decline in soil microbial abundance. (10) Because soil organic matter underpins fertility and microorganisms drive nutrient cycling, sharp reductions in both lead to soil compaction, fertility loss, and biodiversity decline, locking land into a degradation spiral.
Issue 2: Conventional chemical synthesis of paracetamol harms soils
Traditional routes rely on petro-derived phenol and generate large volumes of wastewater containing organic pollutants and heavy-metal catalysts. If inadequately treated, such effluents can reach soils via irrigation or leakage, causing persistent organic contamination and heavy-metal accumulation, disrupting soil microbial community structure, inhibiting plant growth, and potentially bioaccumulating through food webs. In addition, solid wastes and spent catalysts are often landfilled, occupying land and posing long-term leachate risks to surrounding soils and groundwater.
Problem-Solving Approach
Solution to Issue 1
1.Eliminate burning at the source
Establish the lignin → vanillic acid → paracetamol (acetaminophen) conversion pathway, turning straw from a costly waste into a valuable feedstock. The added revenue removes farmers’ incentive to burn, preventing the direct physico-chemical damage to soils.
2.Promote straw return to fields to restore soil fertility
This project primarily utilizes the lignin fraction; cellulose and other residues can be routed to feed, biogas digestate, or direct soil return. With burning eliminated, these organics are retained and cycled back to soils, helping gradually restore/increase soil organic matter and microbial activity.
Solution to Issue 2
Substitute high-pollution chemical synthesis with a greener biosynthetic route:
By using renewable lignin under mild reaction conditions, the chemo-bio pathway avoids toxic reagents and prevents generation of wastewater rich in recalcitrant organics, thereby cutting off a major soil-pollution pathway.
Long-term Positive Impacts on SDG15
1.Protecting and restoring soil biodiversity:
Eliminating burning spares soil microbiota and invertebrate communities from periodic thermal shocks and habitat destruction, providing a stable edaphic environment. After 3–5 years without burning, earthworm density can increase by ~30–50%, microbial biomass by ~20–35%, and overall biodiversity shows marked recovery. (10)
2.Reducing inputs of chemical pollutants:
Although the product itself is not applied to soil, offering a green alternative reduces the total use of environmentally harmful chemicals across the straw-to-medicine chain, lowering cumulative pollutant pressure on terrestrial ecosystems.
Potential Adverse Impacts on SDG15
Management of residues from lignin extraction:
At scale, residual streams from straw fractionation could impact local soils and waters if mishandled. This risk can be mitigated by co-developing valorization pathways for residues and implementing closed-loop systems.
Synergistic Impacts on Other SDGs
SDG 2 Zero Hunger
Maintaining soil health and fertility is foundational to agricultural production. Protecting soils safeguards long-term food-production capacity and is therefore critical to food security.
Stakeholder Feedback
From a microbiological perspective, Professor Wang noted that the high temperatures generated by straw burning directly decimate surface-soil microbial communities—the primary drivers of soil fertility and health. He endorsed our project’s strategy of redirecting straw, for high-value utilization, which fundamentally avoids these periodic, near-sterilizing thermal shocks to soil biota and thus serves as a root-cause solution for maintaining the integrity of terrestrial ecosystems.
Professor Wang further emphasized that the recovery of soil organic matter (SOM) depends on microbial metabolism. Professor Wang point out that under our route, after lignin is utilized, the remaining cellulose and other fractions, if safely returned to fields, can provide valuable carbon substrates for soil microorganisms, thereby re-activating soils and gradually restoring fertility. He recommended establishing a longitudinal monitoring program for soil microbial diversity in later project stages to quantify ecological recovery attributable to the intervention.
Acting on this guidance, in future scale-up demonstrations we plan to establish soil-ecology monitoring sites with partner farms, focusing on changes in microbial biomass carbon (MBC), earthworm population density, and other key indicators. These scientific measurements will substantiate the project’s direct contribution to SDG15(Life on Land) and serve as evidence of environmental benefits.
SDG4: Quality Education
SDG Abstract
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. (1) As a cutting-edge interdisciplinary field, synthetic biology remains under-popularized globally; many members of the public—including youth—lack basic literacy in its core concepts. This project delivers youth-oriented outreach that translates complex scientific ideas into accessible teaching content, directly advancing SDG4 while sparking interest in life sciences among primary and secondary students.
Problem Identification
Issue 1: Low literacy in synthetic biology and public knowledge barriers
Synthetic biology spans gene editing, metabolic engineering, and related domains. Traditional curricula provide few dedicated outreach courses or resources, leaving large knowledge gaps among school-age learners, hindering deeper understanding of biology as a foundational discipline and constraining the pipeline of future talent.
Issue 2: Monolithic outreach formats with limited engagement and hands-on practice
Many science-education activities are confined to textbook delivery with insufficient experiential and interactive components, and rarely invite students to tell scientific stories—especially about biological concepts. Because students often do not internalize abstract scientific constructs or narrative skills early, they face steeper barriers in future research training.
Problem-Solving Approach
Solution to Issue 1
“The Magical Genetic Code: DNA” classroom
This module begins with the engaging question, “Why are everyone’s fingerprints different?”, naturally introducing the core concept of DNA. By analogizing DNA as a “blueprint of life” and proteins as “building blocks,” and comparing trait formation to “constructing a castle according to a blueprint,” the class demystifies how DNA governs phenotype, substantially lowering the cognitive barrier for young learners.
Solution to Issue 2
“Maker Program”
Students draw cards representing biological chassis and trait modules, then imagine and sketch organisms that have never existed. This game transforms learning into a creative, playful experience, powerfully activating biological creativity and innovation thinking.
Long-term Positive Impacts on SDG4
1.Early inspiration for research and talent cultivation
activities significantly heighten youth interest in synthetic biology. Post-class feedback indicates that most students can explain terms like “DNA,” “protein,” and “synthetic biology” and grasp their basic meanings, with many expressing willingness to pursue life-science exploration in the future.
1.A replicable model for high-quality STEM education
NEFU-China curricula and activity designs constitute portable, scalable STEM templates, supplying high-quality educational resources for schools and science-outreach institutions.
Potential Adverse Impacts on SDG4
Technology-resource barriers could worsen educational inequality:
Because delivery depends on university teams and specialized expertise, programs may be harder to disseminate in resource-limited regions, potentially widening disparities in access to frontier science education. This can be mitigated by developing online open resources and other low-barrier dissemination formats.
Synergistic Impacts on Other SDGs
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
By nurturing innovative mindsets and introductory literacy in synthetic biology, these activities cultivate a supportive social environment for future biotechnology innovation and industrial development.
Stakeholder Feedback
Our outreach activities—“The Magical Genetic Code: DNA” and the “Maker Program”—aim not only to spark students’ creativity but also to broaden public literacy in synthetic biology. The highly positive feedback confirms the effectiveness in planting seeds of synthetic biology in young minds.
One student, Zhou Xinjie, shared: “I used to think synthetic biology was something scientists did in a lab far from us. But the ‘Maker Program’ felt like a game, letting us design new organisms ourselves. It was so cool! I felt like a little ‘creator,’ and it made me really want to learn more about synthetic biology.” This approach, translating advanced science into a creative, hands-on experience, directly ignites adolescents’ curiosity about biotechnological innovation.
se authentic responses indicate that our outreach successfully sows the seeds of innovation among youth, nurturing potential future talent for synthetic biology and the broader biotech industry, while fostering a societal culture that values innovation, a foundational contribution to SDG 4(Quality education).
Conclusion
To confront global challenges and advance sustainable development, this project is anchored in the core mandate of Climate Action (SDG13). By innovatively converting agricultural residues into high-value pharmaceuticals, we have achieved concurrent progress across multiple SDG dimensions. Specifically, by eliminating open burning of straw at the source, we directly reduce greenhouse-gas and air-pollutant emissions, offering a scalable contribution to global climate governance; by establishing a “waste → resource → product” green circular model, we increase resource-use efficiency and accelerate the transition toward Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG12); by improving ambient air quality, we safeguard population health and well-being (SDG3); by shielding soil ecosystems from thermal damage and chemical contamination, we help conserve terrestrial biodiversity (SDG15); and through synthetic-biology outreach, we translate frontier science into educational resources, inspiring youth curiosity and delivering an innovative practice model for Quality Education (SDG4).
While challenges remain—including scale-up deployment and biosafety assurance—robust technical governance, regulation, and continuous improvement can transform these into drivers of progress. Looking ahead, we will deepen R&D, expand international collaboration, and promote global adoption of this innovation pathway, contributing China’s expertise and solutions to a sustainable future in which people and nature coexist in harmony.
Reference
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