Catalyxx, global industry experts in renewable chemical production technologies, has selected Sines, Portugal, for Catalyxx Ibérica, its first commercial-scale renewable chemicals plant. The €120 million facility will produce butanol, hexanol and octanol from bioethanol as lower-carbon alternatives to fossil-based chemicals. The plant will be located in one of Europe’s leading industrial and logistics hubs, with deep-water port access, established infrastructure, strong logistics connections and access to renewable energy. This new location will help Catalyxx support the European chemical industry’s supply security, decarbonization and global competitiveness goals.

Catalyxx’s renewable chemicals are designed as drop-in replacements for their petrochemical counterparts. They can be used within existing industrial applications, infrastructure and value chains without requiring manufacturers to change their equipment or processes. Butanol, hexanol and octanol are widely used in coatings, adhesives, sealants, solvents, surfactants, plasticizers, personal care products, chemical intermediates and renewable fuel applications.

The Portuguese Government has granted Catalyxx Ibérica Project of National Interest, or PIN, status. The designation recognizes the project’s contribution to industrial development, innovation, sustainability and economic growth and provides access to an accelerated regulatory approval process. Catalyxx has also secured the project’s key environmental approvals. Construction is expected to begin by the fourth quarter of 2026.

Catalyxx renewable chemicals facility featured in Industrial Sustainability Monthly.

Catalyxx’s demonstration facility supports the development and industrial scale-up of its technology for converting bioethanol into renewable chemicals.

Worley and Quadrante are supporting the project’s engineering activities. Worley provides professional services to the energy, chemicals and resources industries. Quadrante is an international engineering, architecture, environment and sustainability consultancy.

The Sines plant builds on work completed at Catalyxx’s demonstration facility in Seville, Spain. There, the company validated its proprietary catalytic process under continuous operating conditions, generated operational data and developed the technical expertise required for commercial-scale production.

Catalyxx Ibérica is being supported through private investment and public funding. Catalyxx recently received €20 million from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, a public-private partnership supporting Europe’s circular bio-based industries. The Sines facility is expected to avoid approximately 105,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to Catalyxx. It will also help expand the availability of renewable chemical feedstocks while reducing reliance on fossil-based production routes.

“Our Catalyxx Ibérica facility represents the next step in Catalyxx’s mission to replace fossil-based chemicals with renewable alternatives that are chemically identical, fully compatible with existing industrial applications and significantly lower in carbon intensity,” said Joaquín Alarcón, Chief Executive Officer of Catalyxx. “We are thrilled to be building our first commercial-scale plant in Portugal, and we are particularly grateful to AICEP – Portuguese Trade & Investment Agency, aicep Global Parques, which manages ZILS – Sines Industrial and Logistics Zone, CCDR Alentejo, Câmara Municipal de Sines, APS – Administração dos Portos de Sines e do Algarve, and all the Portuguese authorities for their support and recognition of the project’s strategic importance. This project will not only accelerate the defossilization of the chemical industry but also position Portugal as a European leader in sustainable industrial innovation.”

About Catalyxx

Catalyxx transforms bioethanol into drop-in, cost-competitive renewable chemicals. Its technology allows customers to diversify their supply chains and reduce carbon dioxide emissions without sacrificing existing infrastructure, product performance or profitability. The company’s mission is to replace fossil-based chemicals and advance greater sustainability, efficiency and environmental responsibility across the chemical industry. For more information, please click here.

Source/Photo Credit: Catalyxx

(Editor’s Note: All trademarks mentioned in this article, including company names, product names, and logos, are the property of their respective owners. Use of these trademarks is for informational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement.)

Molly Bakewell Chamberlin
Latest posts by Molly Bakewell Chamberlin (see all)