Bioprocessing 101: Why Biology is the Future of Clean Tech
By: Megan Woodworth, KAP Strategy & Business Development
What if microbes could brew jet fuel, proteins and plastics - without oil, animals or pollution? That’s not science fiction. It’s bioprocessing and it’s already shaping the future of how we make things.
Bioprocessing uses living cells - like bacteria, yeast or mammalian cells - to produce valuable products, from low-carbon fuels to life-saving medicines. As countries push toward net-zero and cleaner supply chains, this sector is emerging as a critical pillar of green manufacturing.
But if you’ve never stepped into a lab or heard of a biofoundry, the terminology can be overwhelming. Let’s break it down.
Why Bioprocessing Matters
Across government, industry, and academia, there’s growing recognition that bioprocessing and engineering biology can help solve some of the most pressing global challenges—like climate change, food security, energy independence, and public health.
The sector offers the potential to:
Reduce industrial emissions
Replace petrochemical-based products with bio-based alternatives
Strengthen global supply chains
Drive new economic growth through clean tech innovation
Unlocking this potential requires connecting research with industry - via investment in pilot facilities, testbeds and scale-up infrastructure. It also means building a skilled workforce and aligning regulations with rapidly evolving biotech applications.
Organisations like CPI are leading the way - providing the facilities and expertise to help innovators bridge the gap between lab breakthroughs and market-ready solutions.
Real-World Example: Biofuel Evolution
One standout example is Biofuel Evolution, a UK-based clean tech company transforming organic waste into renewable fuels and chemicals using advanced bioprocessing techniques.
Their work goes beyond innovation in the lab - they’ve actively collaborated with leading UK universities such as University College London (UCL) and University of Newcastle, tapping into world-class academic expertise and infrastructure. These partnerships have supported successful Innovate UK grants, helping bring breakthrough ideas from lab to market.
This model - linking startups with university research facilities, technical talent and public funding - is proving essential to scale and commercialise bioprocessing technologies. It's a blueprint for how the UK can build a thriving bioeconomy that delivers both sustainability and economic impact.
Bioprocessing Buzzwords - Decoded
If you're new to this space, here's a quick guide to the terms you'll hear:
Biotech: A broad term covering the use of biology to solve problems - this includes medicine, agriculture and industrial applications.
Bioprocessing: The specific use of biological materials (like cells or enzymes) to produce goods - such as proteins, biofuels or food ingredients.
Industrial Biomanufacturing: The large-scale version of bioprocessing for making fuels, materials and chemicals that would otherwise rely on fossil inputs.
Microbial Labs: Facilities that work with fast-growing microbes like yeast, bacteria or algae to produce things like vitamins, enzymes, or even bio-based plastics.
Mammalian Labs: Labs using complex animal or human cells to produce biologic drugs or cultivated meat - important for high-value pharmaceutical or food applications.
Upstream Processing: The front end of bioprocessing, covering all activities related to growing cells or microbes - like selecting the organism, developing the media and optimising the bioreactor environment.
Downstream Processing: The purification and recovery stage that follows production—key for ensuring that bioproducts (like proteins or fuels) meet quality and safety standards.
Synthetic Biology (SynBio): The science of engineering cells with new functions - like designing microbes that can produce jet fuel or biodegradable packaging. It underpins much of modern biomanufacturing.
Biofoundry: Highly automated, high-throughput facilities that design, build and test biological systems at speed. Biofoundries accelerate the R&D and scale-up process for startups and researchers.
A Sector on the Rise
The UK already boasts world-class R&D and bioeconomy infrastructure. What’s needed now is:
Greater investment in scale-up infrastructure
Support for venture-backed startups in clean tech biotech
Partnerships between academia and industry through incubators and testbeds
KAP works with clients across this ecosystem—from facilities like CPI, to innovators like Biofuel Evolution, helping them navigate strategy, growth, and investment in this fast-evolving field.
As bioprocessing continues to bridge biology with clean technology, the potential to reshape industries and help solve global sustainability goals—is enormous.
Curious about how bioprocessing could support your business, research or policy goals? Get in touch with KAP to explore collaboration opportunities.
