Biosphere bolsters biomanufacturing ambitions with NovoNutrients acquisition

Biosphere has acquired California-based gas fermentation company NovoNutrients, strengthening its biomanufacturing platform with reactor technology and process expertise aimed at accelerating applications across defense, industrial, and commercial markets.

• Biosphere has acquired gas fermentation specialist NovoNutrients.
• The deal adds proprietary loop reactor technology and gas fermentation expertise.
• Acquisition builds on Biosphere's recent US$9 million US Army biomanufacturing contract.

The Oakland, California-based company said the acquisition will enhance its proprietary UV sterilization platform by combining it with NovoNutrients' experience in gas fermentation, reactor design, and industrial bioprocess development. Biosphere believes the combination will enable the development of intensified bioreactor designs for both gas and carbohydrate feedstocks.

Biosphere's platform replaces conventional steam-based sterilization with UV sterilization technology, which the company says expands the design possibilities for high-performance bioreactors while simplifying manufacturing infrastructure.

"At Biosphere, we see immense potential in developing next-generation reactor designs for intensified bioprocessing," said Brian Heligman, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO of Biosphere. "The NovoNutrients platform plays perfectly into our active Department of War contracts and gives us a strong foundation with an established FEL3 design of a loop reactor pilot plant. We are excited to further develop this technology and leverage its high mass-transfer performance for bioprocessing of both next-generation gas and carbohydrate feedstocks."

NovoNutrients, founded in 2017 and based in Sunnyvale, California, developed a gas fermentation platform capable of converting industrial carbon dioxide and hydrogen into single-cell protein for food and feed applications. Alongside its microbial strains and fermentation processes, the company developed proprietary loop reactor technology designed to improve the transfer of gaseous feedstocks into biological systems at industrial scale.

According to Biosphere, the reactor architecture enhances gas-liquid mass transfer and fluid circulation while reducing the energy consumption and maintenance requirements associated with conventional mechanically agitated bioreactors. The technology has been validated across laboratory and pilot-scale systems and has informed commercial-scale reactor design and modeling.

The acquisition brings NovoNutrients' intellectual property, microbial strains, and accumulated process expertise into Biosphere's portfolio, broadening the company's capabilities beyond its existing biomanufacturing platform.

Biosphere said the transaction supports its wider strategy of building infrastructure for the emerging bioindustrial economy at a time when governments and industry are placing greater emphasis on domestic manufacturing capacity, supply chain resilience, and bioindustrial production.

The announcement follows further momentum for Biosphere, including a recently announced US$9 million agreement with the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM SC). Under that contract, the company is developing modular biomanufacturing systems capable of producing nutrition in austere environments.

Biosphere said the addition of NovoNutrients' technology will also strengthen its ability to pursue opportunities across defense supply chains, industrial manufacturing, specialty chemicals, and advanced materials.

Founded in 2017, NovoNutrients raised more than US$22 million during its development, including an US$18 million Series A financing led by Woodside Energy and CM Venture Capital, with earlier backing from SOSV/IndieBio and other investors.

The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.