中科院过程所

What 中科院过程所 does

The Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IPE CAS, 中国科学院过程工程研究所) is a state-owned national research institute founded in 1958, headquartered at 1 North 2nd Street, Zhongguancun, Haidian District, Beijing, with an additional engineering test base in Langfang. Originally established as the Institute of Chemical Metallurgy, IPE has evolved into a multidisciplinary process engineering research institution organized around 4 national-level platforms (National Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery; National Key Laboratory of Mesoscience and Process Engineering; National Engineering Research Center for Strategic Metal Resource Green Recycling; National Biochemical Engineering Technology Research Center, Beijing), a CAS-level Green Process and Engineering Key Laboratory, the Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquid Clean Process, and 13 institute-level research departments covering mesoscience, ionic liquids, materials, resources and environment, biochemical engineering, biomedicine, clean fuels, and green chemical engineering.

IPE's core technology portfolio centers on mesoscience-based process engineering, ionic liquid technology, biochemical engineering, and green process technology. Notable proprietary platforms include multi-active-site functional ionic liquid catalysts for CO2 capture and conversion (with an 80,000 Nm³/year pilot plant achieving 85% CO2 removal and 30% energy reduction versus amine methods), an AI-driven ionic liquid database, a CFD-MD intelligent simulation platform, drug delivery systems including biomimetic CAR T enhancers and Lipid Nanoparticle-Stabilized Emulsion (LSE) for mRNA vaccines, safe organic liquid hydrogen storage powering megawatt-class hydrogen aviation engines, lithium ion adsorbents and CO2-based lithium recovery (>95% efficiency) from spent batteries, and high-efficiency solar seawater desalination.

IPE does not operate a commercial revenue model; research is funded through Chinese government grants, CAS project funding, and industry collaboration contracts. Technology transfer to industry occurs through licensing, industrial demonstration projects, and CAS-enterprise cooperation, with named industrial partners including Jiangsu Ox Chem (CO2-to-DMC), Guangdong Bangpu (100,000-ton lithium battery recycling), and Angang Chemical Phase III (1.1 million-ton coking wastewater treatment).

Name

中科院过程所

Legal name

中国科学院过程工程研究所

Website

https://ipe.cas.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences is a state-owned national research institute founded in 1958 that conducts R&D in mesoscience, ionic liquids, biochemical engineering, and green process technology, licensing innovations and operating industrial demonstration projects for chemical, steel, battery, and energy partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Process Engineering Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory & R&D Chemical Waste Management (BPALAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Process Safety & Major Hazard Risk Management (PSM) (BPAHAJAE)

Keywords

• Process engineering research
• Ionic liquid technology
• Biochemical engineering research
• Green process technology
• Mesoscience research

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IPE CAS) is a national multidisciplinary research institute conducting fundamental and applied research in process engineering. It develops and licenses process technologies — including ionic liquid-based CO2 capture and utilization, lithium battery recycling, safe organic liquid hydrogen storage, advanced biopharmaceutical delivery systems, and mesoscience-based computational simulation — to industrial partners and government agencies. Its research outcomes are commercialized through technology licensing, industrial demonstration projects, and CAS-enterprise cooperation agreements.

Product overview

中科院过程工程研究所是一个多学科综合研究机构，主要由8个国家级/院级实验室和12个所级科研单元组成，形成以介科学、绿色过程与工程、生物药制备与递送为核心的科研体系。研究涵盖介科学与过程工程全国重点实验室、生物药制备与递送全国重点实验室、战略金属资源绿色循环利用国家工程研究中心等核心平台，以及离子液体清洁过程、CO2捕集与资源化利用、锂电池回收、锂离子吸附剂提锂等特色技术产品线。此外，研究所还开发了AI驱动的离子液体数据库和CFD-MD智能模拟计算平台等数字化产品，并在氢储能和生物医药递送领域拥有创新技术成果。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ionic Liquid CO2 Capture and Utilization Technology

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 capture energy reduction: 30% lower than organic amine methods, ionic liquid multi-stage flash process achieves 60% energy savings
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 上海理工大学材料与化学学院minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2026Academic exchange and collaboration visit by Dean Wan Ying and delegation to discuss research cooperation between institutions.
• 加拿大工程院院士毕晓涛minorOthers · 9 June 2026Visit by Canadian Academy of Engineering Academician Bi Xiaotao for academic exchange and collaboration discussion.
• China-Austria Energy Science RoundtableminorOthers · 29 May 2026International science roundtable on energy held at IPE, fostering bilateral collaboration in energy research.
• 法国法兰西学院教授Jean-Marie TarasconminorOthers · 14 May 2026Visit by Professor Jean-Marie Tarascon from Collège de France for academic exchange. Professor Tarascon is a renowned expert in materials science and electrochemistry.
• Greater Bay Area Science Forum - Carbon Neutrality Sub-forumminorOthers · 1 November 2024Co-hosting the carbon neutrality sub-forum at the 2024 Greater Bay Area Science Forum, promoting technological exchange on carbon peaking and neutrality.
• 江苏奥克化学有限公司coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Collaboration on CO2 synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) co-producing ethylene glycol using ionic liquid catalysts. Established 10,000-ton industrial demonstration facility. Technology certified as world first/international leading by China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation.
• 广东邦普循环科技有限公司coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partnership for lithium battery waste recycling technology. Established industry-first demonstration project for short-route clean utilization and pollution control of lithium battery materials. Technology awarded 2020 Environmental Protection Science and Technology First Prize.
• 鞍钢化学科技有限公司coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of coking tailwater resource utilization and near-zero emission technology. Applied to 110万吨 coking wastewater treatment facility at Angang Chemical Phase III, achieving >90% water recovery rate.
• 河钢集团邯钢公司minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in high-salt wastewater resource utilization and near-zero emission technology development for steel industry.
• 北京赛科康仑环保科技有限公司minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical cooperation in coking tailwater treatment technology development and environmental protection solutions.
• 中国石化coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint establishment of Carbon Neutrality Green Technology Joint R&D Center with Sinopec for clean energy technology development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Institute of Chemistry, CAS: Sister CAS chemistry research institute with overlapping R&D in polymer chemistry, materials, and bio-related delivery. Comparable in talent mix, funding model, and academic-industry translation channels.
• Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), CAS: CAS institute focused on advanced materials, energy storage, and green manufacturing. Directly comparable in technology areas (lithium battery, materials) and partnership model with provincial and industrial stakeholders.
• Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), CAS: Direct peer CAS institute covering chemical physics, catalysis, and energy conversion. Comparable in scale, mandate, and focus areas (CO2 utilization, hydrogen, catalysis), and similar go-to-market for industrial demonstration and licensing.

Broad incumbents

• Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing: Major state-owned industrial R&D arm covering petrochemical and refining process engineering. Comparable in chemical process focus and commercialization background, but operates inside a commercial parent rather than as a public research institute.
• Argonne National Laboratory: US DOE national laboratory with comparable focus areas (battery recycling, energy storage, process engineering). Comparable foundational research mandate and downstream technology transfer function, but funded by the US government.
• Johnson Matthey: Global specialty chemicals and clean energy technology firm with strong positions in catalysts, hydrogen, and battery materials. Comparable in clean process and recycling technology areas, but with a commercial scale and global commercial footprint.
• IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN): French public research organization in process engineering, CO2 utilization, hydrogen, and biofuels. Comparable institutional mandate (applied R&D, industry partnerships) and similar translation-to-industry model.
• Fraunhofer Institute (e.g., Fraunhofer ISI / IKTS): German applied research organization with institutes working in process engineering, environmental technology, and energy storage. Comparable scale, public-mandate, and contract-research operating model.

Emerging players

• Li-Cycle: Commercial lithium-ion battery recycling company. Comparable in the lithium recycling technology area where IPE has a 100,000-ton demonstration project, but Li-Cycle is publicly listed and operates a different hydrometallurgical process.
• Climeworks: Commercial CO2 capture player. Comparable on the CO2 capture/xCO2 utilization axis but operates as a venture-backed commercial entity rather than a research institute, and uses different capture chemistry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E4%B8%AD%E7%A7%91%E9%99%A2%E8%BF%87%E7%A8%8B%E6%89%80

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about 中科院过程所