Page 26 - AWA Vol. 42-No.2 issue

iRRiGATiON

Rovensa Next Strengthens Global innovation Capabilities

With New Pilot Fermentation Plant in Brazil

ity. It offers a working volume of 100 li-
ters and a capacity of 150 liters, increas-
ing relevant fermentation volume by up
to 20 times compared with laboratory
systems.
Until now, microorganisms moved di-
rectly from laboratory bioreactors of up
to seven liters to industrial tanks exceed-
ing 3,000 liters. The new pilot bioreactor,
with industrial-equivalent geometry, al-
lows R&D teams to simulate production
conditions with far greater accuracy.
“This facility is a real turning point in
how we move from research to indus-
trial production,” said Johana Perez,
Global R&D Manager at Rovensa Next.
“We now have much tighter control over
formulations, cultivation parameters and
production strategies at representative
scales, which allows us to validate new
Rovensa Next, the global leader in bio- Located at the Monte Mor industrial fer- bio-inputs more quickly and with greater
solutions for agriculture, has opened a mentation site, it works in close connec- confidence.”
new pilot fermentation plant in Brazil, tion with the company’s Global Research Technology Designed To Mirror In-
strengthening its global R&D and scale- and Innovation Center for Biosolutions dustrial Production
up capabilities in microbial biosolutions. in Hortolândia, where teams conduct mi- The bioreactor is equipped with ad-
The facility creates an intermediate step croorganism research, bench-scale fer- vanced monitoring and control systems
between laboratory research and full in- mentation and formulation development for pH, oxygen, temperature, foam, and
dustrial production, reducing develop- for agricultural biosolutions. pressure. The industrial team was di-
ment risks and accelerating the launch Together, the two sites form a single rectly involved in its design and custom-
of new bio-inputs. ecosystem in Brazil that supports micro- ization, ensuring that equipment, sen-
Now fully operational after its comple- bial innovation from early research to sors, and sterilization procedures match
tion in July 2025, the pilot plant supports industrial scale, driving the creation of those used in the manufacturing plant.
product design projects for Brazil and in- next-generation microbial-based bioso- Microbial bioprocesses do not scale
ternational markets, and plays a central lutions for global markets. linearly. As volumes increase, param-
role in Rovensa Next’s innovation pipe- Scaling Microbial Processes With In- eters such as oxygen transfer, nutri-
line, particularly for complex microbial dustrial Accuracy ent availability, and productivity can
processes that require precise control at The pilot plant operates using the same change, directly affecting yield and per-
scale. utilities as Monte Mor’s production facil- formance. The pilot scale enables these
parameters to be adjusted and validated
under conditions that closely replicate
industrial operations.
For José Nolasco, Global Head of R&D
Bionutrition, the timing is critical. “Global
demand for healthy food is growing fast,
while agriculture faces increasing cli-
mate and sustainability constraints,” he
said. “Technologies developed in Brazil
will play a central role in delivering the
next generation of biosolutions.”
The system also enables teams to val-
idate fermentation timelines, assess
industry-relevant inputs, and estimate
operational costs earlier, reducing risk
and waste before full-scale manufactur-
ing. Beyond improving data quality, the

24 Vol. 42 No. 2