Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

About Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Fraunhofer CBP is the Leuna branch of Fraunhofer IGB, focused on scaling chemical and biotechnological processes from laboratory and pilot scale toward industrial implementation. It works with renewable raw materials and CO2, helping partners develop sustainable process chains for products that can replace fossil-based inputs in chemistry and related industries.

The center serves companies, especially SMEs and start-ups, as well as research partners that need pilot infrastructure, process know-how, and analytical support to bridge the gap between development and market launch. Its positioning is strongly application-oriented: CBP combines biotechnological and chemical process engineering, downstream processing, and process analytics to support process development, optimization, and scale-up along the full value chain.

Core Values

• Sustainability: The center emphasizes renewable raw materials, CO2 utilization, reduced waste streams, and lower emissions as the basis for future chemical production.
• Scale-up orientation: CBP is built around moving processes from lab to pilot and industrially relevant scale, with a strong focus on practical implementation and market readiness.
• Resource and energy efficiency: Many of its process concepts aim to improve material utilization, reduce operating costs, and optimize energy and resource efficiency.
• Collaboration: The center works through joint projects and contract research with industry, universities, and public-sector partners, with particular support for SMEs and start-ups.
• Application focus: Research is designed to generate usable process data, product samples, and validated concepts for real industrial use.

Unique Aspects

• Leuna pilot infrastructure: CBP operates on the chemical site in Leuna and offers modular reactor and plant technology, pilot halls, and process equipment for product-relevant scale-up.
• Broad process chain coverage: It can map complete chains from raw material processing through conversion to separation and purification, rather than focusing on a single step.
• Demonstrated industrial scale-up experience: The center has supported demonstration projects such as the isobutene process for Global Bioenergies, including construction, commissioning, and multi-year operation of a 5,000-liter plant with 100 tonnes per year nominal capacity.
• Access to a chemical-park environment: Partners can use an integrated industrial setting with additional services and utilities from InfraLeuna, which supports demonstration and scale-up projects.
• Recent partnership-linked innovation: Known news from 2025 reports a technology breakthrough with LanzaTech and Mibelle Group on producing a palm-oil substitute from CO2 using modern biotechnology.