• Bioprocess Development Services
    At Celignis Biomass Lab

Biomass Has so Much to Offer, Given the Right Approach


We develop and refine processes to efficiently valorise biomass. We can work on individual stages of a process, or develop a bespoke vertically-integrated technology based on your feedstock or desired end-product. This can be done at lab-scale up to the 100 litre level. Our in-depth understanding of biomass chemistry, our extensive array of bioprocessing equipment, and the biological, engineering, and commercial experience of our Bioprocess team, all play crucial roles in ensuring that our projects are well-designed and focused on our clients' end-goals.

Accurate data are not enough. We have in-depth understanding of the implications of composition and can design processes to fully valorise biomass.

Our Bioprocess Development Services


During his PhD Celignis founder Dan Hayes found that accurate understanding on the composition of feedstocks and process outputs was crucial to optimising processes to valorise biomass. He decided to launch Celignis to provide this compositional and process expertise to the sector.

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Through innovation, passion, and determination, we at Celignis strive to make a difference in the development of the bioeconomy.



How it Works

Looking for the Best Use for a Feedstock?

We have all the necessary analytical and bioprocess equipment, coupled with the expertise of our team, to undertake comprehensive projects for feedstock valorisation. We provide detailed reports which include key summaries of our findings.

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Are you Targeting a Product and Need Help in Selecting the Feedstock and Process?

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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Want to Improve Your Existing Process?

We can undertake a detailed review of your existing bioprocess and identify key nodes where the process can be improved according to various metrics (yields, titres, purity, chemical use etc.). We then design a series of experiments to achieve the targeted objectives. These conditions can then be replicated at higher TRL levels.

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How our Bioprocess Projects Work

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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Global Recognition as Biomass Experts

Celignis provides valued services to over 1000 clients across the globe. We know how the focus of projects can differ between countries and 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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We are proud of the knowledge, passion, and work ethic of our team. They have played key roles in the formulation, optimisation, and commercial evaluation of bioprocesses.



Meet the Celignis Bioprocess Team

Lalitha Gottumukkala

Founder of Celignis Bioprocess, CIO of Celignis

PhD

Has a deep understanding of all biological and chemical aspects of bioproceses. Has developed Celignis into a renowned provider of bioprocess development services to a global network of clients.

Kwame Donkor

Bioprocess Services Manager

BSc, MSc, Phd (yr 4)

A versatile chemical engineer whose PhD focused on optimising bioprocess conditions for Irish feedstocks. Kwame is now managing several of Celignis's bioprocess development projects.

Oscar Bedzo

Bioprocess Project Manager & Technoeconomic Analysis Lead

PhD

A dynamic, purpose-driven chemical engineer with expertise in bioprocess development, process design, simulation and techno-economic analysis over several years in the bioeconomy sector.

Dan Hayes

Celignis CEO And Founder

PhD (Analytical Chemistry)

Dreamer and achiever. Took Celignis from a concept in a research project to being the bioeconomy's premier provider of analytical and bioprocessing expertise.

Sajna KV

Bioanalysis Developer

PhD

Our Biomass Detective! Designs, tests, optimizes and validates robust analytical methods for our bioprocess development projects. Such bespoke analysis is key to developing an optimised bioprocess.

Piotr Dobkowski

Orders and Data Manager

MAc

Feeds on quality data! Piotr plays a major role in data processing and Orders management at Celignis and is responsible for ensuring bioprocess data are rapidly uploaded to the Celignis Database.



Case Studies

Bioethanol From Palm Residues
Celignis undertook a bioprocess development project for a client, based in the Middle East, that was targeting the production of bioethanol from the residues of local palm trees. This was a lab-scale vertically-integrated project covering pretreatment, and separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF).

The project involved a series of lab-scale experiments focused on optimising the pretreatment conditions so that the yields and commercial viability of the process as a whole could be improved. The next stage of the project then involved optimising the type and dosage of enzymes, as well as other factors such as the solid-loading, in order to maximise ethanol yields from the targeted biomass components.
Biomaterials from Seaweed
This Bioprocess Development Project concerned the development of a new sustainable process for the extraction, and subsequent modification, of alginate from seaweed. The process developed by Celignis allowed for alginate extraction without the use of harsh chemicals (e.g. bleaches) and also considered the valorisation of process side-streams (e.g. fucoidan, cellulose etc.).

The target of the project were polymers of improved properties for application in a variety of different biomaterials applications. We found that tweaks in the extraction and modification stages of the bioprocess could influence the physicochemical properties of the resuting alginate and could allow the process to be tailored for producing different types of materials for different end-uses.
Bioactives from Tropical Hardwoods
Celignis undertook detailed analysis of a wide variety of tropical hardwood trees for a client. This involved characterisation of different anatomical fractions (e.g. stem wood, bark, foliage) with a particular focus on the composition of the extractives of these feedstocks. We used our QTOF-LC/MS system to profile the diverse and complex array of bioactive compounds present in the samples. We then evaluated the identified compounds and selected key chemicals that could be of high potential value for sale in different markets. We then undertook a review of these compounds, considering their potential value in various markets, the processes that could be required for their separation and purification, and whether other compounds could also be obtained as part of the extraction/separation process. The final output of the project was a list of top feedstocks and chemicals for future bioprocess development.
Sugars from Paper Side-Streams
This project involved the optimisation or process conditions to allow for the production and recovery, in high yields, of monomeric sugars from recycled paper/cardboard streams.

The project involved examining a number of important process variables, including: pretreatment conditions; the type and loading of enzymes; and the duration and conditions of the hydrolysis stage. The final outputs of the project were selected optimum conditions for each of the examined feedstock types and recommendations for further optimisations of the process and future scaled-up activities.
Oligomers from Biomass
We have undertaken a number of projects, for different clients, focused on obtaining oligomeric sugars from biomass, or biomass-derived polymers. In some cases there have been specific requirements in terms of the preferred oligomer chain length and the ratio of monomeric to oligomeric sugars in the final liquid output.

Optimising the bioprocess required a carefully-formulated DoE considering relevant factors (e.g. temperature, enzymes, pretreatment) in the context of the chosen feedstock and the final product requirements. In all such projects that we have undertaken to date we developed an improved bioprocess that allowed for greater proportions of the total carbohydrates in the liquid phase being in the client's targeted product range.
Glycerol from Industry Side-Streams
Celignis undertook a lab-scale bioprocess development project focused on the hydrolysis of cellulose-containing side-streams from an existing industrial process, followed by the fermentation of the liberated sugars into a variety of products, including glycerol, ethanol, and organic acids.

Following the completion of our lab-scale work, we worked on a technoeconomic analysis of the bioprocess, considering several different scenarios. These included the scale-up of the process as-developed as well as the modelling of the process after several modifications (e.g. simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) rather than separate hyrolysis and fermentation ( SHF)).

The outputs of this TEA informed a follow-on bioprocess development project, incorporating the changes deemed to give greatest impact to the process in terms of commercial and environmental sustainability.




 





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