iPROOF

State-of-the-art 32,000L+ fermentation scale-up facility in Illinois (USA) coming in early 2026.

About the Facility

Leveraging decades of combined experience, Synonym and Primient are partnering to build a state-of-the-art fermentation facility called “iPROOF.”


iPROOF will be located within the Primient corn processing campus that sits on 400 acres in Decatur, IL and offers comprehensive site services and end-to-end know how across your biomanufacturing process.


iPROOF will offer demonstration-scale fermentation capacity with flexible downstream processing (DSP).

Why Decatur?

Decatur has been a part of agricultural innovation for more than 100+ years, offering:


  • One of the fastest growing AgTech Research Corridors in the U.S. with a thriving “lab to line ecosystem”

  • Robust raw material and feedstock production

  • Workforce development and academic partnerships at every level

  • Access to multi-modal freight, transportation, and logistics

Anticipated Facility Specifications

Smaller-scale Capacity

50 L, 150L fermentors

Pilot Capacity

4 x 1,500 L STRs

Demonstration Capacity

2 x 13,000L | 150-300 mmol/L/hr OUR

BSL

BSL-1 handling capabilities

ORGANISMs

Intentionally designed for flexibility: yeast, bacteria, fungi, algae

Manufacturing Standards

Food-grade DSP

Chilled DSP available

DSP Equipment

Flexible DSP processing area includes:

  • High Pressure Homogenizer

  • Evaporator

  • Disc Stack Centrifuge

  • Ceramic Microfiltration

  • HTST Inactivation

  • Rotary Vacuum Filter

  • Spiral MF/UF

  • Spray Dryer

End to end Support

Comprehensive site services include:

  • Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA)

  • Environmental Assessment

  • Logistical Support

  • Analytical Testing

  • Office Space

  • Product Storage

  • Feedstock Co-Location

  • Development & Financing Support

lab assets

Micro testing, culture and analytical labs ready to serve with holistic support

Other details

Batch, fed-batch and fully continuous processing capabilities

Anticipated Facility Specifications

Smaller-scale Capacity

50 L, 150L fermentors

Pilot Capacity

4 x 1,500 L STRs

Demonstration Capacity

2 x 13,000L | 150-300 mmol/L/hr OUR

BSL

BSL-1 handling capabilities

ORGANISMs

Intentionally designed for flexibility: yeast, bacteria, fungi, algae

Manufacturing Standards

Food-grade DSP

Chilled DSP available

DSP Equipment

Flexible DSP processing area includes:

  • High Pressure Homogenizer

  • Evaporator

  • Disc Stack Centrifuge

  • Ceramic Microfiltration

  • HTST Inactivation

  • Rotary Vacuum Filter

  • Spiral MF/UF

  • Spray Dryer

End to end Support

Comprehensive site services include:

  • Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA)

  • Environmental Assessment

  • Logistical Support

  • Analytical Testing

  • Office Space

  • Product Storage

  • Feedstock Co-Location

  • Development & Financing Support

lab assets

Micro testing, culture and analytical labs ready to serve with holistic support

Other details

Batch, fed-batch and fully continuous processing capabilities

About The Partners

Synonym is a data-driven infrastructure developer and asset manager for the bioeconomy. Our team has been widely recognized as the leading professionals across bioprocess engineering and sustainable infrastructure and has been instrumental in designing, developing, and running operations across 12+ pilot, demo, and commercial scale fermentation facilities. We have worked with infrastructure investors to deploy $3B+ in first-of-a-kind (FOAK) technology projects, and are pioneering ways of working with financial markets to position biomanufacturing facilities as an emerging asset class.

Primient is a global leader in plant-based, renewable solutions and has over 100 years of experience in manufacturing operations, including a biomanufacturing joint venture. The company provides expertise and solutions across food, beverage, paper, packaging, personal care, apparel, and animal nutrition industries. Headquartered in the US, Primient has advanced biomanufacturing plants across the Midwest, close to its essential raw material - #2 yellow dent corn.

Want to learn more?

Connect with us to secure your capacity at iPROOF.