Sell stabilised liquid concentrate or invest in evaporation and spray drying at a fixed annual saleable-activity target.
Independent model study · industrial enzymes
Choose the enzyme product format on activity—not mass alone
Test whether liquid concentrate or powder creates the better activity recovery, plant capacity, energy and cost result at one annual saleable-activity target.
MediaFermentationClarificationUF/DFEvaporationDrying / liquidPack
Decision model
A bounded question with a complete plant consequence.
Agricultural feed and media through fermentation, clarification, UF/DF, optional evaporation, liquid formulation or drying, packaging, CIP, wastewater and biomass disposition.
Equations and accounting rules
Saleable activity = incoming activity × product of step activity retentionsMembrane area = permeate flow / fluxEvaporation and dryer duties close sensible and latent heatCOGS/activity unit uses accepted—not scheduled—activityBase, alternative and stress cases
- Liquid, concentrated liquid and powder
- Low/base/high activity retention
- Membrane pre-concentration and heat recovery
- Stress: flux decline and dryer outage
Engineering brief
Model the complete decision, not an isolated unit operation.
Novonesis publicly describes industrial enzyme production by fermentation and residual-biomass valorisation. The finishing route here is a deliberate hypothetical comparison, not a claim about a specific commercial product.
The model tracks both physical mass and active units so an apparently high mass recovery cannot hide activity loss during concentration, formulation or drying.
01 · Model basis
What the Acatian model needs to resolve
Inputs, mechanisms, limits and outputs remain reviewable on one declared basis.Inputs
Activity assay, titer, productivity and stability
Broth solids, filtration and membrane flux
Target concentration, stabiliser and powder moisture
Dryer duty, CIP, utility prices and emission factors
Mechanisms
Saleable activity = incoming activity × product of step activity retentions
Membrane area = permeate flow / flux
Evaporation and dryer duties close sensible and latent heat
COGS/activity unit uses accepted—not scheduled—activity
Constraints
OTR, cooling and broth rheology
Clarifier solids and membrane fouling
Thermal activity loss and dryer rate
Product stability, cleaning and campaign time
Outputs
Saleable activity units/year
Mass and activity loss by step
Membrane, evaporator and dryer hours
Water, energy, COGS and carbon intensity
02 · Acatian workflow
Build it in six controlled steps
Each step creates a reviewable object, not a hidden spreadsheet assumption.- 01
Define the saleable activity specification.
- 02
Close fermentation mass and activity balances.
- 03
Model clarification and UF/DF performance.
- 04
Add liquid and powder finishing branches.
- 05
Schedule equipment, CIP and utilities.
- 06
Compare activity, cost and footprint outcomes.
03 · Decisions
Questions the model should answer
Is mass recovery hiding activity loss?
Where does another titer point create value?
Is drying capacity or energy limiting?
What product format is robust to uncertainty?
04 · Evidence boundary
Validate before the result carries weight
Validation
Check mass, activity, membrane performance, moisture and energy against independent representative-scale runs and stability data.
Limitations
No Novonesis organism, enzyme, formulation, titer, yield or plant performance is asserted. Drying is a model branch, not a universal commercial route.
Public evidence
What the company context supports—and what it does not.
Sources establish the public process architecture. They do not reveal private operating parameters, site performance or an Acatian relationship.Frequently asked questions
Practical modelling questions
Is this the named organisation's real plant model?
No. It is an independent hypothetical Acatian study based only on the cited public process architecture. It claims no affiliation, endorsement, deployment, confidential data or actual plant performance.
Where do the numerical inputs come from?
Every input must be marked as a public fact, literature estimate, transparent engineering assumption or authorised customer input. The public article does not invent private operating values.
Can the model be calibrated to a real facility?
Yes, when the operator supplies authorised process, equipment, schedule and utility evidence and agrees the intended use, acceptance criteria and validation plan.