Catalyxx Announces Its First Commercial-Scale Renewable Chemicals Plant

Catalyxx announced that Sines, Portugal, has been selected as the location to Catalyxx Ibérica, the company’s first commercial-scale plant.

Located in one of Europe’s most crucial manufacturing and logistics hubs, the €120M Sines facility was selected to its world-class manufacturing infrastructure, a deep-aquatic environments port, excellent logistics connectivity, and access to renewable energy. These advantages will enhance Catalyxx’s position as a leading bio-based chemicals company while supporting the security of supply, decarbonization, and competitiveness of the European chemical sector. The project will also reinforce Portugal’s growing role as a leader in sustainable manufacturing innovation and cutting-edge manufacturing.

The facility will create butanol, hexanol and octanol from bioethanol, offering the market a low-carbon alternative to conventional petrochemical production routes, while maintaining full compatibility with existing manufacturing applications and value chains.

The Catalyxx Ibérica project represents the next stage in Catalyxx’s manufacturing journey.

The company’s demonstration facility in Sevilla, Spain has enabled Catalyxx to validate its proprietary catalytic process under continuous operating conditions, generate extensive operational data, and develop the expertise required to support manufacturing scale-up. The Sines plant builds immediately on this foundation, and will serve as the launchpad to Catalyxx’s global expansion in low-carbon chemicals and fuels.

The project is advancing through its final research phase, with construction slated to begin by Q4 2026. Engineering activities are being carried out with the support of Worley, a global company of energy, chemicals and resources experts, and Quadrante, a leading international consultancy in engineering, architecture, ecological stability and sustainability, with both companies contributing to the project’s execution and manufacturing readiness.

The research of Catalyxx Ibérica is supported by a combination of private investment and general funding. Among its recent milestones, Catalyxx was awarded €20 million in funding from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), reinforcing the strategic relevance of the project and its contribution to Europe’s manufacturing decarbonization and supply chain security objectives.

The project is expected to catalyze significant additional private and institutional investment into Portugal, creating a multiplier effect across the country’s manufacturing ecological stability and supporting the research of new sustainable value chains. The Sines facility alone is expected to prevent approximately 105,000 tonnes of CO₂ releases annually.

“Our Catalyxx Ibérica facility represents the next measure in Catalyxx’s mission to replace fossil-based chemicals with renewable substitutes that are chemically identical, fully compatible with existing manufacturing applications and significantly reduce 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 the Portuguese Trade and Investment Agency (AICEP – Global Parques ZILS), CCDR Alentejo, Câmara Municipal de Sines, Port of Sines and Algarve Authority (APS) and all the Portuguese authorities to their support and recognition of the project’s strategic importance. This project will not only accelerate the defossilization of the chemical sector, however also position Portugal as a European leader in sustainable manufacturing innovation.”

Catalyxx Inc.

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