Making the bioprocess journey real

At CENER, we believe the transition to a circular bioeconomy is not just desirable, it is essential. Society must learn to valorize waste streams in an integrated, cascading manner, turning what was once discarded into valuable resources. To make this a reality, our Biorefinery and Bioenergy Centre (Cener BIO2C) serves as a semi-industrial pilot-scale hub, bridging the gap between laboratory innovation and industrial-scale application.

BIO2C enables the development of a wide spectrum of technologies—from bioproducts and solid biofuels to advanced liquid and gaseous fuels, as well as integrated biorefinery concepts that combine multiple valorization routes. By acting as the intermediate step between lab experiments and industrial deployment, BIO2C transforms promising research into market-ready solutions.

The Challenge: Bridging the Valley of Death

Innovation in bioprocesses is exciting, but translating it into market-ready technologies is rarely straightforward. New technologies must be validated, optimized, and scaled, yet investors often hesitate until commercial potential is proven.

This creates a critical gap for startups, R&D centers, and emerging biotech companies: a technology may be highly promising but insufficiently mature to secure investment. Without targeted support, many solutions remain trapped in this transitional phase, delaying the deployment of products that could transform sectors such as chemicals, agriculture, and food.

Successfully navigating this phase requires a combination of technical excellence, operational expertise, and strategic guidance, precisely where CENER steps in.

CENER’s Role: From Lab to Market

At BIO2C, we help companies accelerate innovation, reduce risk, and demonstrate commercial viability. Our Biochemical Process Unit – Cener BIO2C provides a range of services, from process development and scale-up to pre-commercial batch production. Our facilities, encompassing pre-treatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation units, span from laboratory scale to several cubic meters, allowing companies to test and demonstrate their technologies efficiently.

By partnering with CENER, companies gain access to world-class facilities, expert personnel, and strategic guidance throughout the project lifecycle. From technical problem-solving to economic and environmental assessment, we provide the insights and infrastructure required to make informed commercialization decisions.

Over the past decade, CENER has supported companies both nationally and internationally, helping startups, spin-offs, waste managers, large corporations, and technology centers validate biotechnological products and processes. This support has materially increased their success rates in reaching the market, bridging a critical gap in the bioprocess ecosystem.

Versatility and Proven Expertise

BIO2C’s approach is flexible and highly adaptable, capable of working with diverse feedstocks such as cereal straw, crop and forest residues, food industry by-products, organic fractions of municipal solid waste, and sewage sludge. These raw materials are transformed into an array of bioproducts, including advanced biofuels, bio-based polymers, biostimulants, biopesticides, enzymes, and antioxidants.

Our track record includes pilot productions of agrobiologicals, enzymes, microorganisms, and food products, as well as hydrolysis and fermentation processes that convert organic waste into biocompostable and biodegradable polymers. This portfolio illustrates our ability to validate full valorization chains, providing companies with confidence to advance from pilot/demo scale to industrial deployment, including environmental and techno-economic feasibility assessments of the complete process.

The Value of Collaboration

Working with CENER offers more than technical support, it is a strategic partnership. Companies gain the ability to demonstrate technologies in state-of-the-art facilities, faster, more cost-effectively, and with lower risk, supported by tailored guidance throughout every stage of development. Our combined focus on technical excellence, market readiness, and sustainability ensures that bioprocesses are not only technically viable but also commercially and environmentally sound.

Collaborate with us.

Develop. Optimize. Scale. Validate. Succeed.

Let’s take your bioprocess innovation to market together!