Is Real-Time Bioprocess Monitoring Sustainable and Does It Reduces Energy Use and Emissions in Protein Production

Reducing Emissions Through Smarter Bioprocess Monitoring

Protein production based on fermentation and bioprocessing is widely seen as a more sustainable alternative to traditional agriculture and petrochemical-based processes. However, these processes are still energy-intensive and resource-heavy, particularly at an industrial scale.

A major source of inefficiency lies in limited visibility into what is happening inside bioreactors during production. Real-time bioprocess monitoring addresses this challenge by providing continuous insight into microorganism behavior, enabling producers to optimize processes, reduce waste, and lower energy consumption. As a result, it plays a growing role in reducing emissions associated with protein production.

Why Protein Production Is Energy-Intensive

• Fermentation inefficiencies and batch failures

Fermentation-based protein production relies on precise control of biological systems. Small deviations in growth conditions, contamination, or population dynamics can lead to reduced yields or complete batch failure.

When problems are detected late, producers often expend large amounts of energy on processes that ultimately produce little or no usable product. Heating, cooling, agitation, and aeration continue even when the biological process is no longer efficient.

Batch failures are therefore not only costly in economic terms, but also highly inefficient from an energy and emissions perspective.

• Resource and energy waste

Beyond batch failures, suboptimal process control leads to excessive use of:

• Electricity for mixing, pumping, and cooling

• Compressed air or oxygen for aeration

• Raw materials and nutrients that are not fully converted into product

Without real-time insight into microorganism performance, operators are often forced to rely on conservative operating conditions, which further increase energy use per unit of protein produced.

Role of Real-Time Monitoring in Sustainable Production

• Early detection of process deviations

Real-time bioprocess monitoring enhances sustainability by using monitoring technologies that offer continuous feedback on the current condition of microorganisms within the bioreactor. This enables operators to identify deviations like stress, unusual growth patterns, or contamination early on.

Early detection enables targeted intervention, such as adjusting feeding strategies or stopping a failing batch before unnecessary energy and resources are consumed.

• Optimizing growth and harvest timing

One of the most effective ways to reduce energy use is to produce more product in less time. Real-time monitoring supports optimization of growth conditions and harvest timing by revealing when microorganisms reach their optimal production state.

Rather than relying on fixed schedules or indirect indicators, producers can base decisions on actual biological performance, improving yield while reducing runtime and energy consumption.

Emission Reduction Through Process Optimization

• Lower energy consumption per batch

Optimized bioprocesses require less energy for agitation, aeration, and temperature control. By maintaining microorganisms in their optimal operating window, real-time monitoring reduces the need for corrective actions that consume additional energy.

Over many production cycles, these efficiency gains translate into significant reductions in energy use and associated emissions.

• Reduced raw material waste

Raw materials that are not converted into product represent wasted embodied energy and emissions. Real-time monitoring helps ensure that nutrients and inputs are used efficiently by maintaining healthy, productive microbial populations.

This improves overall process efficiency and reduces the environmental footprint of protein production.

Case Examples in Alternative and Precision Protein

• Fermentation-based protein production

Alternative and precision protein production relies heavily on microbial fermentation. These processes often operate at large scale and for extended durations, making them sensitive to inefficiencies.

Real-time monitoring enables producers to detect deviations early, optimize feeding strategies, and maintain stable production conditions, all of which contribute to lower energy use per kilogram of protein produced.

• Scale-up and continuous production

As protein production scales from pilot to industrial levels, inefficiencies can multiply rapidly. Continuous and large-scale processes benefit particularly from monitoring systems that operate reliably over long periods.

By providing consistent insight across scales, real-time monitoring supports sustainable scale-up without proportional increases in energy consumption or emissions.

Why Sustainability Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage

• Regulatory pressure and reporting

Sustainability is increasingly embedded in regulatory frameworks and reporting requirements. Producers are expected to demonstrate reductions in energy use, emissions, and waste across their operations.

Real-time monitoring provides the data needed to quantify improvements, support sustainability reporting, and demonstrate compliance with environmental goals.

• Cost savings and long-term resilience

Reducing energy use and waste not only lowers emissions but also reduces operating costs. In a competitive market, efficiency gains directly translate into improved margins and resilience against rising energy prices.

Producers that invest in smarter monitoring technologies are therefore better positioned to meet both environmental and economic objectives.

Why Real-Time Monitoring Is Central to Sustainable Bioprocessing

Sustainable protein production depends not only on the choice of feedstocks or organisms, but also on how efficiently processes are run. Real-time bioprocess monitoring enables producers to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive optimization.

By reducing batch failures, minimizing waste, and lowering energy consumption, real-time monitoring technologies play a central role in reducing the emissions footprint of modern protein production.