Scale-up Biorefining Centre

A cutting-edge pilot scale facility defining the next generation of engineering biology and scale-up in the UK, offering open access to world-class facilities that unite academia and industry from lab concepts to commercial-ready processes. We help companies transform underutilised resources into high-value products with scalable, sustainable solutions.

Scale smarter. Commercialise faster.

Engineering Biology at Scale

The AberInnovation Biorefining Centre represents the evolution of industrial biotechnology in the UK, providing open access to world-class scale-up capabilities, fostering collaboration between academia and industry from laboratory concepts to commercial-ready processes. Operating at technology readiness level (TRL) 3-6, we bridge the critical gap between research and industrial application.

A Strategic Location - inspired by BEACON

Situated at Gogerddan Campus alongside IBERS (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences) and Aberystwyth University, our Biorefining centre provides unparalleled access to world-class research, dedicated agricultural land for field trials, and an innovation ecosystem supporting feedstock-to-final-product development.

What this means for you: a single front door, integrated project governance, and a unified team from biological and agricultural inputs to pilot-scale processes and de-risked scale-up.

With dedicated technical support staff, IBERS academic expertise, integrated advanced chemical analysis and Future Food Centre under the same roof, the AberInnovation Biorefining Centre is the perfect place for your product and process development needs.

Get in touch to work together

Core Capabilities & Technical Infrastructure:

-Primary Processing

Advanced separation systems for isolating juices, fibre fractions, and co-products from agricultural crops and alternative feedstocks
Industrial screw press for optimisation of extraction yields
Belt drying system
Temperature-controlled holding tanks
Fully serviced plug-and-play processing space ready for integration of proprietary or third-party processing equipment

-Precision Fermentation: Supported by in-house biorefining technologists and IBERS experts

Design and development at laboratory scale
Pilot-scale fermentation capabilities
30L, 70L, and 340L pilot-scale bioreactors for process optimisation
Further processing, homogenisation, and extraction capabilities

-Downstream Processing

Complete secondary processing suite:

Pilot-scale high-pressure homogenisation (9L/h)
Membrane filtration up to 100L/h (MF/UF/NF/RO)
Evaporation systems (up to 5L batch)
Pilot-scale spray drying (1L/h)
Fluid bed processing for granulation, drying, and coating (50g-1kg batch)
Fully serviced space to host third party processing equipment

-Integrated Support Services with Aberystwyth University:

Dedicated technical support staff
Advanced chemical analysis facilities on-site
Future Food Centre integration
Access to IBERS academic expertise
Biomass feedstock research and development

Partnership with IBERS at Aberystwyth University

The Biorefining Centre's location at Gogerddan provides unique access to IBERS' world-renowned research in biological, environmental, and rural sciences. This partnership enables:

Direct collaboration with leading academic experts in plant breeding, biomass production, and agricultural innovation
Access to specialised research facilities and analytical capabilities
Field trial sites for feedstock development and agricultural testing
Shared commitment to advancing sustainable bioeconomy solutions
Integration of frontier digital technologies with agricultural research
Access to an international biorefining excellence network, including the European Green Biorefining initiatives and Pilots4U – providing a comprehensive ecosystem for collaboration.

Get started

Bring your idea, strain and data, or simply your problem statement. We’ll co-design the pathway and run a pilot campaign to get you to the next decision point faster.

Contact us to arrange a site visit to the Biorefining Centre.

Learn more