• Bioprocess Research
    Collaborative Projects
    At Celignis Biomass Lab

Background

The use of biochar as a soil amendment dates back thousands of years, with evidence of its use found in ancient Amazonian soils. However, it was not until the late 20th and early 21st century that biochar began to receive renewed attention as a potential tool for addressing some of the pressing environmental challenges facing the world today, including climate change, soil degradation, and food security.

The modern history of biochar research can be traced back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when a handful of scientists began to investigate the potential of biochar as a soil amendment. One of the key figures in this early research was Dr. Johannes Lehmann, a soil scientist at Cornell University, who in the early 2000's published a paper in the journal Nature which demonstrated that adding biochar to soils can significantly increase soil fertility and crop yields.

Since then, biochar research has exploded in popularity, with thousands of studies published on the topic over the past two decades. Researchers around the world have been investigating the effects of biochar on a wide range of crops and soils, as well as its potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality, and enhance biodiversity. For example, biochar is one of the key research areas of the Carbolea Group at the University of Limerick, the research centre from which Celignis spun-out in 2014.


Biochar for Carbon Sequestration

One of the key areas of focus in biochar research has been its potential to sequester carbon. When organic matter is heated to produce biochar, the carbon in that organic matter is locked away in a stable form that can remain in the soil for centuries. This has led some researchers to suggest that biochar could be used as a tool to help mitigate climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil.

While there is still much research to be done on the carbon sequestration potential of biochar, early studies have shown promising results. A 2012 meta-analysis of 44 studies found that adding biochar to soils can lead to a 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to non-amended soils. Another study published in 2016 found that biochar-amended soils could sequester up to 1.8 billion tons of carbon per year, equivalent to about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.


Biochar for Soil Fertility

In addition to its potential as a carbon sequestration tool, biochar has also been found to have a wide range of other benefits for soils and crops. For example, studies have shown that biochar can improve soil fertility by increasing nutrient retention, reducing soil acidity, and enhancing soil microbial activity. Biochar has also been found to increase crop yields, particularly in degraded or nutrient-poor soils. Other potential benefits of biochar include its ability to improve water quality by reducing nutrient runoff and enhancing water retention in soils. biochar has also been found to enhance biodiversity by providing habitat for soil microorganisms and supporting plant growth.

While the potential benefits of biochar are clear, there are still many questions that need to be answered before it can be widely adopted as a tool for addressing environmental challenges. For example, researchers are still working to understand the optimal conditions for producing biochar, including the best types of feedstocks and pyrolysis temperatures.


Current Topics in Bioprocess Research

Biobased Materials from Biochar

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of biochar not just as a soil amendment but also as a material for a wide range of applications. This has led to an increase in research on the properties and potential applications of biochar-based materials, as well as on the production and processing of biochar for these applications.

One of the key areas of focus in biochar materials research has been the development of biochar-based composites. These composites combine biochar with other materials, such as polymers, to create materials with enhanced properties. For example, biochar has been combined with polypropylene to create a bio-based composite material that is lightweight, strong, and environmentally friendly. Biochar has also been used as a filler in concrete to improve its strength and durability.

Another area of research has been the use of biochar in energy storage applications. Biochar has been found to have high surface area and porosity, making it an ideal material for use as an electrode in supercapacitors and other energy storage devices. Researchers are investigating the properties of biochar that make it suitable for energy storage, as well as ways to optimize its performance in these applications.

Pollution Control

Biochar has also been investigated for use in water treatment applications. It has been found to be effective at removing contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals from water, making it a potential tool for improving water quality in both industrial and municipal settings. Researchers are investigating the mechanisms by which biochar removes contaminants from water, as well as ways to optimize its performance in these applications.


Biochar Activation

Activation of biochar has become a popular research topic in recent years due to the potential to modify biochar's properties for specific applications. Activation is the process of creating highly porous biochar by increasing its surface area. Activated biochar has been found to have enhanced adsorption capacity, making it useful for applications such as water treatment, air purification, and soil remediation.

The most common methods of biochar activation include chemical activation, physical activation, and combined activation. Chemical activation involves the use of chemicals such as potassium hydroxide or zinc chloride to create highly porous biochar. Physical activation uses high temperatures and controlled atmospheres to produce highly porous biochar, while combined activation uses a combination of both chemical and physical methods to create biochar with specific properties.


Biochar Functionalisation

Functionalisation is the process of modifying the surface chemistry of biochar to add new properties or enhance existing ones. Functionalized biochar has been studied extensively for its potential in various applications, such as catalysis, energy storage, and environmental remediation.

The functionalization of biochar is typically achieved through the modification of its surface chemistry using various techniques, such as acid treatment, oxidation, and grafting of functional groups.

Acid treatment involves treating biochar with an acid such as nitric or sulfuric acid to introduce functional groups such as carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, which can improve the biochar's sorption capacity and catalytic activity.

Oxidation involves treating biochar with an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide or ozone to increase the number of oxygen-containing functional groups on its surface.

Grafting involves attaching functional groups such as amines, sulfonic acids, or phosphonic acids to the surface of biochar to enhance its properties.

Hydrothermal Carbonisation

Slow pyrolysis is the conventional method for producing biochar. It involves heating the biomass at temperatures between 350 and 700 oC in the absence of oxygen. However, recently there has been much research into the use of hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) for biochar production.

HTC allows for wet feedstocks and slurries to be used for biochar production. It involves heating biomass in the presence of water under high temperature and pressure conditions. This process leads to the breakdown of the biomass components, resulting in the formation of a hydrochar, which is a biochar-like product.

Hydrochars produced from HTC tends to have lower ash contents than biochars from slow pyrolysis due to the washout of inorganic components during hydrothermal carbonisation. Hydrochars also tend to have a lower polarity and aromaticity than slow-pyrolysis biochars.



How Celignis Can Assist in Bioprocess Research Projects

Celignis is currently active in a number of important research projects looking to advance the state of the art in the utilisation of biomass for the production of biobased products, fuels, and energy. These projects are funded by a number of schemes, including the European Union's Horizon Europe programme, the Circular Bioeconomy Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE-JU) (Celignis is a member of the Biobased Industries Consortium (BIC) steering committee for the CBE), and local national programmes. Biochar is a key component of several of these projects, and was also component in a number of our now completed research projects.

Below we list some of the areas in which we can contribute as a collaborative partner in research projects that involve the production, modification, and application of biochar.


Feedstock Profiling

If your project involves the screening of feedstocks with regards to their suitability for the production of biochar then Celignis can be of great assistance.

We can leverage our deep understanding of biomass chemistry and our extensive experience in analysing biomass feedstocks (tens of thousands of samples analysed to date) to narrow down the list of candidate feedstocks.

We can then undertake feedstock analyses, with our wide-ranging analysis packages, to get detailed compositional data to inform the feedstock selection process. These analyses can cover many parameters including: chemical composition (e.g. the lignocellulosic constituents of biomass), thermal properties, and ash composition.

We can also monitor how the feedstock behaves under pyrolysis conditions using our thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) equipment. The results of such analyses can help to inform what the most suitable pyrolysis conditions would be for each feedstock.

We are currently profiling a wide number of candidate pyrolysis feedstocks as part of our activities in the BIO4AFRICA and SteamBioAfrica projects, funded by the EU's Horizon Europe programme.

Get more info...Further Details




Biochar Analysis

We have all the necesary equipment and expertise to fully analyse and assess biochar samples. Our analyses can cover properties relevant to a wide range of potential applications for biochar, including: combustion, soil applications, and biobased materials.

We can determine the surface area and porosity of biochar and can suggest suitable end-uses based on the results or potential treatment options to increase available surface area.

Our extensive experience in the lignocellulosic analysis of biomass can be used to determine the fate of the main constituents of biomass in the pyrolysis process, when compared against the starting feedstock. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is also a very useful tool for such comparison studies.

In addtion to analysing biochar, we can also analyse bio-oil, the liquid output of pyrolysis, for a wide variety of chemical constituents.

As part of our activities in the Horizon Europe project BIO4AFRICA we are analysing numerous samples of biochar and hydrochar produced under varying conditions from several African biomass feedstocks. In the Horizon Europe project SteamBioAfrica we are analysing the torrified biomass that is produced from a number of invasive bush species prevalent in several African countries.

Get more info...Further Details




Plant Growth Trials

We can undertake lab-scale and greenhouse-scale experiments focused on the effect of biochar amendment to soil on the germination and growth of plants.

These trials can study a variety of parameters, such as: biochar loading, plant-type, soil-type, and incubation period.


Get more info...Further Details




Biochar Production

We have equipment for the lab-scale production of bioochar from feedstocks. With these items of equipment we can explore the effects of varying conditions (e.g. pyrolysis temperature, residence time, heating rate etc.) on the yield and quality of biochar produced from feedstocks.

We can also explore the potential for using certain additives during the pyrolysis process that may help to improve the quality of the process outputs and reduce the formation of undesirable compounds (e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) during pyrolysis. Also, feedstock pre-treatment strategies (e.g. washing) can be tested for their effects on biochar yields and quality.


Get more info...Further Details




Biochar Upgrading

We can employ a variety of different approaches to activate and/or functionalise biochar. We can then assess the impacts of these approaches with compositional, physical, and structural analyses of the biochar. These upgrading experiments can be designed according to the desired end-use application market for the biochar or project.


Get more info...Further Details




Technoeconomic Analysis

Our technoeconomic experts can work in the project on technoeconomic analysis (TEA) work packages. These will allow for the economic prospects of a future pyrolysis facility, based on the technologies developed in the project, to be evaluated. The TEA can consider various scale, technology, and feedstock options. We apply accurate costing models to determine CAPEX/OPEX of simulated and pilot scale processes which are then used to determine key economic indicators (e.g. IRR, NPV).


Get more info...Further Details






Current Research Projects Involving Celignis and Bioprocess Development

"Mining Microbes and Developing Advanced Production Platforms for Novel Enzymes To Rapidly Unleash Xylans Potential In a Scope Of Products For the Consumer Market"




ProgrammeHorizon Europe, FNR-16-2020
CategoryResearch and Innovation Action (RIA)
StatusActive
Period2021 - 2025
Partners13
Budget€6.04m
LinksCordis, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook
Enxylascope is a project, thought and written by Celignis, with multiple focus areas to achieve consumer products free of liquid plastics derived from fossil fuel resources. The project has several novel elements, with a strong commercial focus. The novelty starts with the discovery of novel xylan side chain acting enzymes and extends to their application to develop novel xylan based products.

Celignis is involved in the isolation of natural isolates that have the ability to produce multiple sidechain-acting enzymes of interest by adaptive culture enrichment process. Additionally, Celignis is the leader of WP4, being responsible for the extraction of water-soluble xylan and its conversion it to water insoluble forms with high water holding capacity using the enzymes developed in the project. The target is that the modified xylan is used as an alternative for liquid plastics that are used as rheology modifiers in personal care and cosmetics products.

Celignis is also undertakeing the full-length techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the process.

Get more info...EnXylaScope



"High Performance Bio-based Functional Coatings for Wood and Decorative Applications"




ProgrammeCBE-JU, Horizon Europe, BBI-2020-SO3-R5
CategoryResearch and Innovation Action (RIA)
StatusActive
Period2021 - 2024
Partners13
Budget€6.25m
LinksWebsite, Cordis, CBE-JU
PERFECOAT aims to develop paint and coating formulations with more than 25% biobased content with these divided into polysaccharides, lipids, and pigments. The project addresses three important markets for coatings: (i) high-volume, UV-curable clear coatings; (ii) waterborne trim paints for DIY; and (iii) waterborne wall paints.

The project is linking the industrial biotechnology sector to the paint and coating sector, as the biobased products developed in the project are microbially or biomass derived and modified using microbially derived enzymes. The project integrates chemical approaches with biochemical approaches to achieve the final superior quality product. The polysaccharides are both chemically and enzymatically modified separately or sequentially to obtain unique functionalities.

Celignis is involved in extracting xylan and chitin from terrestrial and aquatic biomass respectively and modifying them chemically and enzymatically to produce water based and UV-curable coatings. The modification involves: hydrolysing to obtain desired molecular weight polysaccharides; grafting chemical groups (chemical and enzymatic means) on to xylan, chitosan, and alginate to produce UV-curable binders; and grafting chemical groups to convert water soluble polysaccharides to water resistant forms.

Get more info...PERFECOAT



"Value Added Materials from Organic Waste Sugars"




ProgrammeCBE-JU, Horizon Europe, BBI.2018.SO2.D3
CategoryInnovation Action (IA)
StatusActive
Period2019 - 2023
Partners11
Budget€13.70m
LinksWebsite, Cordis, CBE-JU, Twitter
VAMOS is based on the Fiberight process for the valorisation of municipal solid waste to produce lactic acid. Celignis plays a key role in the project with regards to the analysis of the solid fractions at a number of stages in the process. Our initial work focuses on the development of rapid analysis models, using near infrared spectroscopy equipment located in our labs, that allow the composition of the material to be predicted based solely on the NIR spectra collected from it. This allows the analysis time to be reduced from weeks to seconds, an approach we have successfully demonstrated to date in other BBI projects (BIOrescue and UNRAVEL) at the RIA (up to TRL-5) level for both feedstocks and process outputs.

Excitingly, VAMOS gives Celignis the opportunity to demonstrate its NIR models at a higher TRL level (TRL-7). As part of this we will install similar NIR equipment within the demo plant (which is expected to be located in the UK) and set up customised software that will allow plant operators, with no technical expertise in NIR or chemometrics, to routinely analyse the inputs and outputs of the process.

Get more info...VAMOS



"Innovative Large-Scale Production of Affordable Clean Burning Solid Biofuel and Water in Southern Africa: Transforming Bush Encroachment from a Problem into a Secure and Sustainable Energy Source"




ProgrammeHorizon Europe, LC-GD-2-3-2020
CategoryInnovation Action (IA)
StatusActive
Period2021 - 2024
Partners15
Budget€11.73m
LinksWebsite, Cordis, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
This project addresses the problems experienced with bush encroachment in a number of southern African countries by using this biomass as a feedstock for a steam torrefaction process, developed in SteamBio (an earlier EU-funded project). Their are two main outputs of this process, a solid material which has improved properties, with regards to its use as a clean-burning fuel, over the original biomass, and a liquid condensate containing volatile components removed from the biomass during torrefaction.

Celignis is an important analytical partner in the project, undertaking detailed compositional analyses of the feedstocks and process outputs as well as providing guidance and SOPs to the local partners for routine analyses (e.g. for proximate, ultimate, and calorific value analysis). Additionally, Celignis is the main partner responsible for the analysis of the liquid condensate fraction and for the evaluation of suitable applications and markets for it. This is expected to be a complex mixture of degradation products, particularly those coming from the extractives and hemciellulose fractions of the biomass. The profiling of this liquid stream will involve use of our extensive range of chromatography equipment, particularly our Agilent iFunnel 6550 QTOF-LC/MS device. Following this detailed analysis we will then consider which components within the liquid are of value and will consider applications for these (either in crude or refined forms) and will work on techniques for separation and purification.

Get more info...SteamBioAfrica



"Diversifying Revenue in Rural Africa through Circular, Sustainable and Replicable Bio-based Solutions and Business Models"




ProgrammeHorizon Europe, CE-SFS-36-2020
CategoryResearch and Innovation Action (RIA)
StatusActive
Period2021 - 2025
Partners25
Budget€9.00m
LinksWebsite, Cordis, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
BIO4Africa focuses on the demonstration of sustainable, circular solutions and business models, suitable for African countries, based on the valorisation of a variety of local feedstocks.

Celignis is an important partner in the project, having a key role early-on with regards to the compositional analysis and evaluation of a wide variety of different local feedstocks. These data allowed decisions to be made with regards to which feedstocks were suitable for which technologies leading to a subset of feedstocks being selected for processing. The project's technologies include: pyrolysis (for biochar production); hydrothermal carbonisation; and a green-biorefinery (the GRASSA process).

After matching feedstocks with technology, samples will be sent to the European technology providers where initial tests will determine how these feedstocks behave. Following these trials arrangements will be made for the equipment to be shipped to Africa where the technologies will be deployed at a number of locations, processing locally-available biomass. Celignis will also play an important role in the project at these stages, being responsible for the analysis of the outputs (e.g. biochar, HTC char, press-cake, etc.) of the various technologies.

Get more info...BIO4Africa



Previous Research Projects Involving Celignis and Bioprocess Development

"The Production of Sustainable Diesel-Miscible-Biofuels from the Residues and Wastes of Europe and Latin America"




ProgrammeHorizon Europe, FP7.ENERGY.2008.3.2.1
CategoryResearch and Innovation Action (RIA)
StatusCompleted
Period2009 - 2013
Partners14
Budget€3.73m
LinksWebsite, Cordis
DIBANET, involved collaborative research between 13 partners from Europe and Latin America to develop biorefining technologies for the production of advanced biofuels. It targeted levulinic acid (a valuable platform chemical), from cellulose and hexose sugars, and of furfural (a valuable solvent and fuel precursor), from hemicellulose-dervied pentose sugars such as xylose. The process employed acid-hydrolysis, at elevated temperatures and pressures, to hydrolyse the polsyaccharides and produce the targeted molecules. The project also involved the development of a novel pre-treatment process, employing formic acid and hydrogen peroxide. The solid residues that were retained after hydrolysis were pyrolysed and gasified in order to produce energy.

Dan's primary scientific role in the project was in WP2 where he led efforts to generate algorithms for the rapid prediction of biomass composition based on the near infrared spectra of samples. Particular focuses for model development in DIBANET were the feedstocks Miscanthus (highly suitable for European climates) and sugarcane bagasse (a highly abundant fibrous residue in Brazil).

The development of the rapid biomass analysis models in DIBANET resulted in Dan spinning-out Celignis in 2014.

Get more info...DIBANET



"Enhanced Bioconversion of Agricultural Residues through Cascading Use"




ProgrammeCBE-JU, Horizon Europe, BBI.R10-2015
CategoryResearch and Innovation Action (RIA)
StatusCompleted
Period2016 - 2019
Partners11
Budget€3.77m
LinksWebsite, Cordis, CBE-JU, Twitter
BIOrescue evaluated ways to valorise the compost residues from mushroom production. Celignis's roles in BIOrescue included the following:

- Compositional analysis of feedstocks and process intermediates and outputs.
- The development of rapid analysis models, using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, for compositional analysis at several stages in the process scheme.
- The scoping of additional suitable undertuilised seasonal feedstocks for co-feeding with spent mushroom compost in a proposed biorefinery based on the BIOrescue technologies.
- The development of new algorithms, using software such as Octave and R-Studio and involving advanced intelligent regression techniques, to further improve the accuracy of Celignis's NIR models.




Get more info...BIOrescue



"UNique Refinery Approach to Valorise European Lignocellulosics"




ProgrammeCBE-JU, Horizon Europe, BBI.2017.R2
CategoryResearch and Innovation Action (RIA)
StatusActive
Period2018 - 2022
Partners13
Budget€3.72m
LinksWebsite, Cordis, CBE-JU, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
The UNRAVEL project (UNique Refinery Approach to Valorise European Lignocellulosics) is funded with 3.6 million euros by the Biomass Based Industries Joint Undertaking and runs from June 2018 until May 2022.

The project addresses topic 2017.R2 of the 2017 BBI Work Programme - "Innovative technologies for the pre-treatment and serparation of lignocellulosic feedstock and complex composition streams into valuable fractions while maintaining key characteristics".

It focuses on the demonstration, at pilot-scale, of the FABIOLA pretreatment process for the production of (fine) chemicals, fuels and high-value lignin applications through an economically-feasible biorefinery concept for lignocellulosic biomass conversion.

Celignis is leader of Work Package 2 which concerns the detailed analysis of selected feedstocks, with a particular focus on extractives composition, and the optimisation of a pre-extraction process that could improve the yields and product qualities in subsequent pre-treatment. Studies showed that this pre-extraction is particularly effective in increasing the homogeneity of the feedstock composition and the purity of biorefinery products.

Celignis also worked on finding key chemicals within the extractives that may warrant separation and recovery and consider appropriate means for doing this. Our work will also involve developing a suite of NIR models for key inputs, intermediates, and outputs of the process.

Get more info...UNRAVEL



"Sequential Temperature-phased Enhanced Anaerobic digestion using Microbes and Enzymes"




ProgrammeOther
StatusActive
Period2019 - 2022
Partners1
Budget€0.10m
STEAME is aimed at developing a cost-effective technology for the efficient conversion of farm-animal waste and surplus grass silage to biogas. Key innovations are developed in the areas of: pre-treatment; thermophilic semi-dry anaerobic digestion; and microbial and enzyme applications. These are expected to improve the economics of farm-based AD systems thorough increased biogas yields; avoidance of slurry storage; and production of stable class-A biosolids as a value-added product for agricultural land applications.

Get more info...STEAME



"Self-Assembling Plant-based Hydrogels Induced by Redox Enzymes"




ProgrammeHorizon Europe, INNOSUP-02-2019-2020
CategoryINNOSUP
StatusCompleted
Period2019 - 2021
Partners1
Budget€0.13m
LinkCordis
The SAPHIRE process was aimed at plant-based, environment-friendly, high-quality hydrogels for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Such eco-friendly high quality, 100% plant-based hydrogels were targeted to be produced in an eco-friendly manner and to command a green-premium product price for the product, especially in the target markets of food, and the cosmetic and medical industries.

In the eco-friendly SAPHIRE process, enzymes help in reducing the energy and chemicals demand in the fractionation of plant biomass to xylan, cellulosem, and lignin. They also help in the controlled deconstruction of plant biomass and thereafter in the ordered assembly of xylan and nanocellulose fractions to form hydrogels with lignin monomers as cross-linking agents.

Get more info...SAPHIRE



"ALGAL biorefinery of biogas digestate to high VAlue fuNctional IngredientS through circular approachEs"




ProgrammeHorizon Europe, H2020-EU.1.3.2
CategoryMarie Curie IF
StatusCompleted
Period2020 - 2022
Partners1
Budget€0.18m
LinkCordis
The ALGALVANISE project was designed to add an additional revenue stream to the biogas plants by producing high value products and reducing the disposal problems with the digestate. Digestate is rich in phosphates and nitrogen and also contains substantial amounts of organic content that is not converted to biomethane. The richness of digestate in nutrients and organic matter makes it a suitable feed for biotransformation (fungal, algal, or bacterial) to high value products.

Algal cultivation is favoured over fungal and bacterial systems for wastewater or digestate treatment due to the ability of algae to assimilate nutrients and produce high-value products including proteins, lipids and natural pigments.

In the integration of algal cultivation at an AD facility, a natural consortium of bacteria and algae can be established based on the composition of the digestate and environmental/process conditions. ALGALVANISE advanced the state-of-the art by developing a series of innovative solutions for separate applications in the biogas and algae industries as well as the best integrated solution for a biogas-algae biorefinery.

Get more info...ALGALVANISE



Additional Information on Biprocess Development Research

Feel free to get in touch with us if you would like to discuss potential collaborations in research projects that involve bioprocess development. Relevant members of the Celignis Bioprocess team will be happy to assist. Those team members with the most experience in writing and managing relevant research projects are listed below.

Lalitha Gottumukkala

Founder of Celignis Bioprocess, CIO of Celignis

PhD

Oscar Bedzo

Bioprocess Project Manager & Technoeconomic Analysis Lead

PhD

Dan Hayes

Celignis CEO And Founder

PhD (Analytical Chemistry)



Other Celignis Services for Bioprocess Development

Global Recognition as Bioprocess Experts

Celignis provides valued services to over 1000 clients. We understand how the focus of bioprocess projects can differ between countries and have advised a global network of clients. We also have customs-exemptions for samples sent to us allowing us to quickly get to work no matter where our clients are based.

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Extraction

Biomass can be rich in bioactive compounds of high value for food, feed, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications. We develop bespoke extraction methods suitable for your needs with high selectivity, efficiency and low environmental impact.

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Pretreatment

The choice of pretreatment method varies with the type of biomass and the end-product requirements. At Celignis we can determine the most suitable pretreatment for your feedstock and determine the optimum conditions in lab-scale trials followed by higher TRL scale-ups.

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Hydrolysis

For the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to monomeric sugars either chemical or biological approaches can be used. At Celignis Bioprocess we can use both methods at scales ranging from flask-level to 100-litres. We have particular expertise in the optimisation of conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis.

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Enzymes

Enzymes are biological catalysts that have a wide variety of applicaitons in the bioeconomy, ranging from the liberation of sugars from lignocellulosic biomass to the functionalisation of biomass-derived chemicals and materials for higher-value applications. We are experts in the design and use of enzymatic approaches.

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Fermentation

Development of fermentation processes requires knowledge of an array of important factors including: biomass, the microbes used, nutrient media, and fermentation conditions. We're experienced in many fermentations and can help you determine and optimise yields of an array of different fermentation products.

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Downstream Processing

How the various outputs (solid and liquid) of a bioprocess are dealt with is often overlooked until later in bioprocess development, leading to excessive costs and complications. We consider and tackle these issues, and others such as product recovery, early-on as being integral to the bioprocess.

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Lab-Scale Optimisations

We consider that optimising a bioprocess at the lab-scale is the most cost-effective approach to explore a range of different scenarios in search of optimal process conditions. Based on the outputs of these experiments we can then test the chosen set of conditions at higher TRL levels.

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TRL Scale-Up

At our dedicated Celignis Bioprocess laboratories we have all the necessary upstream and downstream apparatus to undertake bioprocess projects up to a tehcnology readiness level (TRL) of 6, with reactor and processing capacities of up to 100 litres.

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Technoeconomic Analyses

Our technoeconomic experts can evaluate your bioprocess, considering various scale, technology, and feedstock options. We apply accurate costing models to determine CAPEX/OPEX of simulated and pilot-scale processes which are then used to determine key economic indicators (e.g. IRR, NPV).

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Biobased Chemicals

A large array of chemicals and materials are possible from biomass and wastes. These can involve chemical or biological approaches, or a combination of the two. Based on your desired end-product we can design and test the most appropriate bioprocess.

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From Process Refinements to an Entire New Process

We work closely with you to understand your objectives and timelines. We then propose a project, usually covering a series of deliverables and stage-gates. Often our projects involve optimising conditions at the lab-scale before replicating the conditions at higher TRL levels.

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