Fraunhofer-Zentrum für Chemisch-Biotechnologische Prozesse CBP

What Fraunhofer-Zentrum für Chemisch-Biotechnologische Prozesse CBP does

Fraunhofer-Zentrum für Chemisch-Biotechnologische Prozesse CBP is a non-profit applied research institute established in 2017 as a branch (Institutsteil) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart. It is operationally based at Leuna, Germany, on the InfraLeuna chemical park, where it operates modular pilot-plant infrastructure up to 10 m³ for biotechnological and chemical conversions. The institute's core function is bridging the lab-to-industrial gap for bioeconomy processes: it provides pilot-scale infrastructure, scaling expertise, and integrated biorefinery capabilities covering raw material processing (lignocellulose, oilseeds, sugars, starch), biotechnological conversion (fermentation up to 10 m³, enzymatic processes), chemical conversion (organosolv digestion via its patented FABIOLA™ process, electrochemical lignin depolymerisation), and downstream processing (extraction, purification, conditioning). Sample quantities from kilogram to ton scale are produced for feasibility studies and customer-owned demonstration projects.

The institute serves three primary customer segments: start-ups and SMEs in the bioeconomy needing pilot access without capital investment risk; chemical industry companies seeking to validate biobased processes before full-scale production (including named partners TotalEnergies and Sunfire for green methanol); and academic research groups requiring scale-up expertise. Its revenue model combines two streams — public research project funding (EU Horizon 2020, BBI-JU, Just Transition Fund, federal and Saxony-Anhalt state programs) and collaborative R&D services delivered via project-based contracts — with no publicly disclosed pricing. CBP is embedded in European bioeconomy infrastructure networks (Pilots4U, IBISBA) and the Fraunhofer Chemistry Alliance of 15 institutes, providing distribution and reach beyond direct sales.

Notable proprietary technology includes the FABIOLA™ acetone-based organosolv digestion process for lignocellulose fractionation (registered patent) and a continuous lignin precipitation process jointly patented with the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems. The institute participates in major EU-funded consortia, including the €10M Horizon 2020 LIBERATE project on electrochemical lignin biorefinery and the BBI-EU UNRAVEL project, and has received approximately €13M in Just Transition Fund approvals for infrastructure expansion through 2026.

Name

Fraunhofer-Zentrum für Chemisch-Biotechnologische Prozesse CBP

Legal name

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

Website

https://cbp.fraunhofer.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fraunhofer CBP is a non-profit applied research institute in Leuna, Germany that provides modular pilot-plant infrastructure (up to 10 m³) and scaling expertise for biotechnological and chemical processes. It serves bioeconomy start-ups, SMEs, chemical industry companies, and academic groups via collaborative R&D contracts and public grant-funded projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Biotechnology / Bioprocess Scale-up Research Services

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAMALAL

Biorefinery Technology & Contract Processing (fractionation, tolling, scale-up)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Paper & Forest Products/Biomaterials & Bio-based Products

SECONDARYHLAAAJAA

Upstream Bioprocessing Systems & Equipment (cell culture/fermentation, bioreactors, feeds/media)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Bioprocessing & Biomanufacturing Technology (upstream/downstream, single-use, analytics)

SECONDARYEUAAAHAJ

Biofuel Co-products & Byproduct Processing (DDGS, Glycerin, CO2, Lignin)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Bioenergy, Natural Gas & Biomass/Biofuels Production (Ethanol, Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel, SAF)

Keywords

• Bioprocess scale-up
• Pilot plant infrastructure
• Biorefining services
• Lignocellulose fractionation
• Industrial biotechnology

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: Public funding from EU (Horizon 2020, BBI-JU, Just Transition Fund), federal German government, and state of Saxony-Anhalt for research infrastructure and collaborative research projects.
2. Collaborative R&D Services: Contract research and development services for industry partners (start-ups, SMEs, large chemical companies) to scale biotechnological and chemical processes. Services include pilot plant access, process development, and technical consulting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fraunhofer CBP operates modular pilot plant infrastructure up to 10 m³ for scaling biotechnological and chemical processes from laboratory to industrial scale. Services span raw material processing (lignocellulose and oilseed biorefineries), fermentation and enzymatic conversions, chemical conversion (including electrochemical and organosolv processes), product workup/downstream processing, and accompanying process analytics. The institute also supports commissioning and operation of customer-owned demonstration plants and produces sample quantities from kilogram to ton scale.

Product overview

Fraunhofer CBP operates as a research and scaling service provider offering an integrated biorefinery concept with modular process capacities up to 10 m³. The portfolio encompasses raw material processing (lignocellulose, oilseeds), biotechnological processes (fermentation, enzymes), chemical processes (electrochemical, organosolv), and downstream processing (extraction, purification, conditioning). The core service is scaling new processes from laboratory to pilot scale, providing sample quantities from kilogram to ton scale, and supporting customer-owned demonstration plant development at their Leuna site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rohstoffaufbereitung (Raw Material Processing) Processing and preparation of renewable raw materials including plant oils, cellulose, starch, and sugars for further conversion into chemical products, serving industrial and academic partners in the bioeconomy.
• Lignocellulose-Bioraffinerie (Lignocellulose Biorefinery) Fractionation and processing of lignocellulosic biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin using organosolv digestion processes including the patented FABIOLA™ process, for companies developing biobased chemical products.
• Ölsaaten-Bioraffinerie (Oilseed Biorefinery) Processing of oilseeds for extraction and conversion of vegetable oils into chemical products, serving industrial partners in the bioeconomy.
• Biotechnologische Verfahren (Biotechnological Processes) Development and scaling of biotechnological processes including fermentation (up to 10 m³ capacity), enzymatic conversions, and production of biobased chemicals, platform chemicals, and enzymes, for industrial and academic partners.
• Prozessdemonstration Isobuten (Isobutene Process Demonstration) Pilot-scale demonstration of biotechnological isobutene production processes, available to industrial partners developing biobased isobutene routes.
• Chemische Verfahren (Chemical Processes) Chemical conversion processes for production of biobased basic, fine, and platform chemicals using methods including electrochemical processes and organosolv processing, for industrial partners.
• Produktaufarbeitung (Product Workup/Downstream Processing) Product isolation, separation (e.g., extraction), purification, and conditioning for final product preparation, supporting industrial downstream processing needs.
• Prozessbegleitende Analytik (Process-Related Analytics) Analytical services accompanying processes including real-time process analyses and quality control, supporting R&D and production partners.
• Infrastruktur für Pilotanlagen (Pilot Plant Infrastructure) Provision of modular process capacities up to 10 m³ for biotechnological and chemical conversions, along with support for customer-owned demonstration plant setup and operation on-site, for industrial and academic partners.
• Skalierungs- und Pilotierungsplattform (Scaling and Piloting Platform) Integrated platform enabling scaling of chemical and biotechnological processes from laboratory (TRL 3-4) to pilot scale (TRL 6), including sample quantity production from kilogram to ton scale, for industrial partners commercializing new processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% improvement in energy efficiency and 350% improvement in resource efficiency in lignin biorefinery processes (LIBERATE project targets)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pilots4UcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025European community and database platform for multipurpose pilot and demo infrastructures. CBP is part of this network which maps available facilities across Europe, offering detailed information on equipment across 12 technology areas and 50 bioeconomy-relevant technologies. The platform enables cross-border access to scaling infrastructure.
• BioTraIn4Eco ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Funded by Saxony-Anhalt (JTF), project expands biotechnology transfer infrastructure at CBP to strengthen the biotechnology economy in Saxony-Anhalt. Project duration June 2025 – August 2028.
• Fraunhofer Chemistry AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Cooperation of 15 Fraunhofer institutes uniting overarching research and development in chemistry. Offers industrial customers a one-stop shop for applied research in various cooperation formats.
• TotalEnergies and SunfirecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration on green methanol production project in Leuna, announced in 2021.
• LIBERATE Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018EU Horizon 2020 funded project (€10M grant) with international consortium including LEITAT (Spain, coordination), ECN/TNO (Netherlands), SINTEF (Norway), universities, and SMEs. Project develops electrochemical lignin biorefinery for producing vanillin and biobased polymer building blocks.
• UNRAVEL Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018BBI-EU project (€~8M) with consortium including TNO (Netherlands, coordination), Celignis (Ireland), Metgen (Finland), Soprema (France), CNRS (France), Sappi (Belgium), Max Planck Institute. Developed FABIOLA™ organosolv process for lignocellulose fractionation.
• IBISBA (Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and Scale-up Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-European initiative for strategic networking of research infrastructures in industrial biotechnology, aiming to form a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). Addresses interoperability and improved access to pilot plants.
• InfraLeuna GmbHcoreOthersCBP is located on the chemical plant site of InfraLeuna GmbH, benefiting from synergies with existing industrial infrastructure at the Leuna chemical park.
• BioEconomy ClusterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional bioeconomy cluster network for collaboration and knowledge exchange in sustainable biotechnology.
• Enzymicals AGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner at ACHEMA trade fair where CBP presented process engineering development and scaling of biotechnological processes for enzyme production.
• Mailingwork GmbHminorOthersService provider for newsletter distribution and event registration management.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement): French national research institute covering agriculture, food, and environment with significant biorefinery and bioprocess capabilities. Comparable as a publicly funded RTO performing pilot-scale work for industrial bioeconomy partners.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied-research organization active in biobased chemicals and biorefinery, and a named LIBERATE consortium partner with CBP. Closely comparable mandate as a contract R&D provider for industrial bioeconomy scaling.
• LEITAT: Spanish applied-research center coordinating the LIBERATE project with CBP. Directly comparable as a European RTO orchestrating bioeconomy consortia and providing pilot/process development capabilities.
• Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (Wageningen UR): Dutch research institute with extensive biorefinery and biobased process development capabilities. Directly comparable to CBP as a leading European applied-research provider scaling biomass-to-chemicals processes.
• Bio-Based Europe Pilot Plant (BEPP): Belgian pilot facility for biobased product and process development, offering fermentation, downstream processing, and scale-up. Most direct overlap with CBP's service portfolio for industrial biotech piloting.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish RTO operating pilot and demonstration infrastructure for industrial biotechnology and bioeconomy. Comparable mandate and offerings to CBP in lignocellulose biorefining, fermentation scale-up, and contract R&D for renewable raw materials.
• SINTEF: Norwegian independent research institute with strong bioprocessing and biorefinery pilot capabilities. Named LIBERATE consortium partner with CBP; directly comparable as a European RTO offering pilot-scale bioprocess development.

Emerging players

• Sunfire: German electrolyzer and e-fuels technology company partnering with CBP and TotalEnergies on green methanol at Leuna. Comparable as a deep-tech player that uses pilot infrastructure like CBP's to bridge lab-to-commercial scale in biobased fuels/chemicals.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer IGB (parent institute): Parent institute of CBP and a broader Fraunhofer applied-research organization in interfacial engineering and biotechnology. Comparable as the wider franchise in which CBP's bioeconomy scaling capability sits, with overlapping customers and Fraunhofer network positioning.
• TotalEnergies: Strategic partner on the green methanol pilot at Leuna. Comparable insofar as TotalEnergies operates its own bioenergy/CCU pilot activities and represents the kind of energy-major customer CBP serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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