Summary: On 7 June, the Jingdezhen Ecology and Environment Bureau of Jiangxi Province announced that the environmental impact assessment of Tianxin Pharmaceutical's VA, VB5, cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 project was approved. The products are all new for Tianxin Pharmaceutical.

On 7 June, the Jingdezhen Ecology and Environment Bureau of Jiangxi Province announced that the environmental impact assessment of Jiangxi Tianxin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Tianxin Pharmaceutical)'s VA, VB5, cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 project was approved. Previously, its sub-projects were published on the Leping People's Government of Jiangxi Province on 10 Aug., 2020. These projects include 1,000 t/a VA project, 7,000 t/a VB5 project and 6 t/a 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 project (Further details can be found in Vitamins China E-News 202008: Tianxin Pharmaceutical publicizes EIA reports of three new projects). As for the three sub-projects approved this time, there are some changes.

Tianxin Pharmaceutical's VA, VB5, cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 project

• Total investment: USD213.73 million (RMB1,358,726,600)
• Type: Restruction and expansion
• Location: In the current and new lands of Tianxin Pharmaceutical's factory
• Contents: The project (including 3 sub-projects), is divided into two phases. Facilities for VA, VB5, cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 production as well as complementary facilities (regenerated heavy distillate, regenerated activated carbon, hazardous waste incineration and industrial salt incineration) will be built up.
• Capacity: 1,000 t/a retinyl acetate (converted to purification), 7,000 t/a VB5 (calcium pantothenate and pantothenic acid), 350 t/a cholesterol, 6 t/a 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (converted to purification). All for external sales.
• Complementary facilities: Regenerated heavy distillate (Phase I: 13.5 t/a; Phase II: 27 t/a), regenerated activated carbon (Phase II: 10,000 t/a), hazardous waste incineration (Phase I expansion: 30,000 t/a), industrial salt incineration (Phase II: additional 30,000 t/a).

 

The three sub-projects are:

1,000 t/a VA project

• Total investment: USD122.90 million (RMB781,291,500)
• Location: In the west of the new land for "Tianxin 2nd Area" in Tianxin Pharmaceutical's current factory
• Contents: To build up new production facilities for VA

 

7,000 t/a VB5 project

• Total investment: USD72.36 million (RMB460,021,300)
• Location: In the current land of "Tianxin 1st Area" in Tianxin Pharmaceutical's factory
• Contents: To build up new production facilities for VB5

 

350 t/a Cholesterol and 6 t/a 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 project

• Total investment: USD18.47 million (RMB117,413,800)
• Location: In the current land of "Tianxin 2nd Area" in Tianxin Pharmaceutical's factory
• Contents: To build up new production facilities for cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3

Tianxin Pharmaceutical, the largest VB production base in China, is a high-tech company specializing in vitamin production. Currently, the company has products of 6,500 t/a VB6, 4,000 t/a VB1, 90 t/a VH, 500 t/a folic acid, 300 t/a L-ascorbyl palmitate, 45 t/a VD3, 10,000 t/a VB1 intermediate (liquid sodium methoxide), 20,000 t/a VB1 intermediate (acetamidine hydrochloride), 4,000 t/a VB6 intermediate (MEO), 180 t/a VH intermediate (thioester), 2,600 t/a folic acid intermediate (trichlor, triamine p-toluidine) and 45 t/a VD3 (intermediate).

The VA, VB5, cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 are all new production of Tianxin Pharmaceutical. According to the company, the project is built to meet market demand and to perfect its product mix. Advanced technology and equipment are adopted in the production of the project, and the indicators of resource consumption and pollutant generation are low. After the implementation of relevant environmental protection measures, all kinds of pollutants can be discharged up to the standard, with little pollution to the environment. Therefore, the project is feasible in the perspective of environmental protection.

At present, Tianxin Pharmaceutical is actively involved in VD3 and its derivatives. In April this year, the company passed the environmental protection for its 45 t/a VD3 production facility, which is now in normal production. If the cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 project can be put into production smoothly, it will extend the company's VD3 production chain.

25-hydroxyvitamin D3, also known as calcifediol, is an active metabolite of VD3. Mainly applied in feed industry, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 not only has the function of ordinary VD3, but also can promote bone development of poultry animals and improve the quality of eggshell, thus reducing the rate of eggshell damages.

There are only a few producers of the product due to its high requirement on equipment and processes. The producers include DSM, Zhejiang Garden Biochemical High-Tech Co., Ltd. (designed production: 100 t/a feed grade 25-hydroxyvitamin D3; actual product: 25-hydroxy-7-dehydrocholesterol) and Shandong Haineng Bioengineering Co., Ltd. (capacity: 60 t/a feed grade 25-hydroxyvitamin D3). Tianxin Pharmaceutical will be a new producer of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 if the project goes well.

Additionally, Zhejiang Garden Biochemical High-Tech Co., Ltd. (Garden Biochemical) is going to launch production of the feed grade 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. Garden Biochemical is the largest producer of VD3 in the world. The company is bullish on the 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 market and decides to build the 1,200 t/a 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 powder project in the Jinhua Economic & Technological Development Zone to increase its feed grade 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 capacity. On 19 Jan., 2021, Garden Biochemical revealed that the project will go into production in Q3 this year.