Each metric ton of kitchen waste oil can produce 0.67 to 0.8 tons of PHA, generating about 30,000 yuan ($4,360) to 40,000 yuan in economic value, which is more than four times higher than producing biodiesel, according to Bluepha.

The advanced, environmentally friendly properties of the PHA products have allowed the firm to quickly capture markets in China, Europe and North America. Bluepha said its PHA tableware products developed jointly with TMS Packaging, McDonald's global supplier of tableware, will be used in the Middle East and North American markets soon.

In terms of pollutant reduction, replacing 1 ton of traditional plastic with 1 ton of PHA can reduce 1.54 tons in pollutant emissions, the company said.

The firm's current first-phase PHA annual supply capacity is at the level of thousands of tons. With the planned second and third phases, the annual production capacity is expected to reach 70,000 to 80,000 tons, according to Li.