Climate change is one of the most severe challenges facing global development, and its increasingly severe impact particularly imposes a heavy burden on the poor and vulnerable groups. Taking urgent action to address climate change and mitigate its negative impacts is key to achieving all sustainable development goals.The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal "Climate Action" aims to enhance public awareness of climate change and global warming[1]. Abnormal high temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns are clear evidence that excessive accumulation of greenhouse gases has led to an imbalance in the Earth's heat.

In the industrial and agricultural sectors, traditional chemical synthesis of bosonic is often accompanied by high energy consumption and high emissions, while biomanufacturing technology demonstrates significant low-carbon potential. By promoting the substitution of traditional chemical processes with bio-based materials and enzyme catalytic processes, greenhouse gas emissions can be effectively reduced, contributing to global climate governance.

By editing the xylanase gene and constructing/selecting high-copy recombinant yeast, we created a chassis cell that efficiently uses xylan as its carbon source. It can utilize xylanase to convert agricultural-waste xylan into xylose, absorbs the xylose, and intracellularly synthesizes Pro-Xylane. This integrated route replaces the energy-intensive, high-emission petrochemical process and eliminates greenhouse-gas emissions from straw burning. Further optimization of fermentation, enzyme thermostability and secretion markedly raised resource and energy efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, and showcased bio-manufacturing's practical value in tackling climate change and advancing new-quality productivity [3].

During the visit to Shaanxi Keliene Biotechnology Co., Ltd., we had in-depth exchanges on the application and development of biosynthesis technology. The team shared the project experience of synthesizing hyaluronic acid using recombinant Pichia pastoris and proposed a linked optimization strategy of "online simulation pre-screening + laboratory precise verification", which was positively recognized and responded to by the enterprise's technical team. Both sides agreed that the cooperation between the university and the enterprise plays a key role in solving technical difficulties in the biological manufacturing process and promoting the implementation of green processes. The enterprise also expressed its willingness to further deepen cooperation in the degradation of bio-based materials and the carbon assessment of the entire life cycle.

"Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure" is a crucial goal among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and it serves as a core pillar for supporting resilient global economic growth, promoting green industrial transformation, and facilitating inclusive and sustainable innovation. Its core mission lies in building efficient and resilient infrastructure, fostering inclusive and sustainable industrialization, establishing low-cost and reusable innovation carriers, and promoting the deep integration of technological breakthroughs and industrial demands. Although current industrial production and innovation practices have achieved certain results in areas such as technological exploration and model optimization, significant challenges remain to be addressed urgently when measured against the deeper requirements of our objectives—such as achieving a full-chain green transformation and ensuring the efficient implementation of innovation outcomes.

Xylan in agricultural waste is a highly valuable biomass resource for development, and its conversion product xylose serves as a key raw material for synthesizing boswellic acid, supporting both synthetic biology and traditional industrial upgrades. Traditional chemical extraction of xylose relies on high-temperature, strong-acid processes that not only consume excessive energy but also generate large volumes of acidic wastewater. This creates a “green supply gap” dilemma for xylose feedstocks

To address the core bottleneck in the green synthesis of boswellin—namely, the reliance of traditional chemical synthesis on petroleum-based feedstocks, its high energy consumption, and the generation of harmful byproducts, which hinder the long-term sustainable development of the industry—the team's xylanase technology innovation has not only established the critical pathway from "agricultural waste → xylose → biosynthetic boswellin," but also provided tangible support at the levels of industrial upgrading, technological innovation, and infrastructure development: Xylanase efficiently decomposes xylan from agricultural waste, converting it into high-purity xylose—the core carbon source for biosynthetic boswellin production. This eliminates reliance on fossil-based feedstocks, injecting green momentum into boswellin manufacturing from its source. Compared to traditional processes, the biosynthetic pathway—leveraging xylose converted by xylanase and a recombinant Pichia pastoris system—reduces energy consumption and harmful emissions by over 60%.

The resulting product exhibits stable activity and purity, meeting the demands of high-end sectors like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. This technological breakthrough not only breaks down barriers in converting low-value biomass into high-value products, driving the boswellin industry's transition from traditional high-carbon production to bio-based green manufacturing and solidifying sustainable industrial foundations, but also establishes a reusable raw material conversion technology platform for synthetic biology. Subsequent teams can bypass redundant upstream raw material conversion R&D, enabling them to directly focus on downstream high-value application development. This creates foundational conditions for supporting collaborative innovation across the industrial chain, fully unleashing the “green, low-consumption, and readily accessible raw materials” advantages of biosynthetic boswellin. Furthermore, it drives industrial resilience through technological innovation and enhances innovation support systems through sharing, providing a replicable practical pathway for sustainable development in related fields.

Global carbon taxes and environmental fees continue to tighten, increasingly exposing the high carbon footprint and persistent pollution issues associated with traditional chemical synthesis of boswellic acids. This iGEM project, however, leverages a biosynthetic pathway based on xylanase technology—a key that is unlocking new doors for sustainable industrial development.

Chemical methods remain deeply reliant on petroleum-based feedstocks, with carbon emissions remaining high during high-temperature, high-pressure production. Carbon tax pressures continue to erode profit margins. The use of strong acids and alkalis generates vast amounts of wastewater and hazardous waste, dragging down costs like a chronic burden. Our solution employs xylanase as the “conversion key,”[5] transforming agricultural waste like corn cobs and straw into valuable resources. It converts these into xylose—the core carbon source for synthesizing boswellic acid—significantly reducing carbon emissions and eliminating the need for costly carbon taxes. Moreover, this approach enables participation in carbon trading through carbon reduction achievements. With no chemical pollution throughout the process,[6] environmental costs are substantially reduced.

This pathway precisely aligns with the “dual carbon” policy direction, breathing new life into agricultural waste and linking the green industrial chain from “farmers—synthetic biology—cosmetics.” Moreover, it provides a vivid paradigm for this iGEM project—one of “technological innovation—policy alignment—industrial synergy”—profoundly demonstrating the unique value of synthetic biology in advancing sustainable development.

When SDG4 science communication enhances public awareness of “resource circulation,”[7] people become more inclined to adopt consumption patterns aligned with SDG12. This shift in consumer demand, in turn, compels businesses to accelerate industrial transformation under SDG9: For instance, more companies will adopt green innovations like xylanase technology and build sustainable production infrastructure. This creates a closed-loop cycle where “education enhances awareness—awareness guides behavior—behavior drives industry,” ultimately positioning SDG4 as the catalyst for synergistic development between SDG9 and SDG12.

Supported by innovative achievements in xylanase technology, the team conducted in-depth exploration into its industrial application pathways. During technical collaboration with Xifeng Liquor Co., Ltd., the team did not simply implement xylanase technology as an external solution. Instead, they prioritized identifying core pain points within the enterprise's integrated “cultivation-brewing-cultural tourism” model: On one hand, the company must annually dispose of thousands of tons of agricultural waste. Storing this waste occupies valuable land resources, incineration causes air pollution, and direct disposal wastes valuable biomass resources. On the other hand, persistently high raw material procurement costs in the core brewing process have become a critical bottleneck constraining the company's industrial scale expansion. To address these two critical constraints on industrial development, the team abandoned conventional waste disposal and raw material acquisition approaches. Instead, they innovatively proposed a bio-enzymatic hydrolysis solution based on xylanase: Without relying on traditional physical crushing (e.g., hammer milling) or chemical extraction (e.g., strong acid/alkali leaching), optimized xylanase catalysis achieves highly efficient xylan extraction. This process boosts extraction rates by 20% compared to conventional methods[8] while generating zero pollutants throughout. The application of this technological solution not only provides enterprises with low-cost, stably supplied brewing raw materials but also efficiently resolves the disposal challenges of corn cob waste. This innovation in xylanase technology precisely matches and addresses the core industrial needs of enterprises.

The NPU-CHINA iGEM team has built a full cycle of sustainable action—from lab research and industrial use to public outreach. By engineering efficient xylanase enzymes and a smart biosynthesis system, they turned crop waste like corn cobs into high-value cosmetic ingredients, cutting pollution and carbon emissions. They partnered with companies to bring enzyme tech into production, shifting industry from chemical methods to green bio-manufacturing. Through school programs and community activities, they raised awareness and inspired young people to embrace sustainable living.

These efforts highlight how science, education, policy, and industry can work together to support the UN SDGs. Moving forward, with rising carbon taxes and public concern for the planet, bio-manufacturing, recycling, and green consumption will become the new norm. The team’s approach offers a global reference: using technology as the engine, education as the bridge, and partnership as the bond—walking together toward a fair, green, and inclusive future.