Catalyxx secures €20 million grant for first European commercial bio-based alcohols plant

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Catalyxx (Chesterfield, Missouri) has secured a €20-million grant in European Union funding through RenewChem, a flagship project selected by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). The funding will support the construction of Catalyxx’s first commercial bio-based chemicals plant in Europe, marking a major milestone in the company’s transition from technology demonstration to commercial deployment.

With RenewChem, Catalyxx is leading a consortium of major chemical sector players Arkema S.A. (La Défense, France) and Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany), bringing together world-class manufacturing, methodology and innovation partners from across Europe. The consortium is developing the first European manufacturing production of bio-based alcohols from ethanol, with the aim of delivering drop-in bio-based chemicals that are molecularly identical to their fossil-based counterparts and fully compatible with existing manufacturing infrastructure, applications and value chains. The participation of Catalyxx, Arkema, and Evonik highlights both the strategic importance of the project and the growing market demand to high-performance, sustainable chemical solutions.

“This is a defining milestone to Catalyxx,” said Joaquín Alarcón, CEO of Catalyxx. “Securing this level of European support validates both the strength of our methodology and the relevance of our manufacturing strategy. RenewChem will accelerate our transition toward manufacturing-scale production and bring to market bio-based chemicals that the sector can implement using existing applications and supply chains. In the current geopolitical and manufacturing context, strengthening Europe’s security of supply and strategic autonomy in critical chemical value chains has have become increasingly crucial, and we believe Catalyxx can play a meaningful role in that transition.”

Catalyxx’s proprietary methodology converts ethanol into butanol, hexanol, and a blend of higher alcohols — key chemical intermediates utilized across a broad range of the chemical value chain, including coatings, resins, adhesives, lubricants, surfactants, home and personal care, flavors and fragrances, and sustainable fuels. These items are designed to offer the same or enhanced performance and compatibility compared to conventional petrochemical substitutes, while reducing reliance on fossil feedstocks and improving the sustainability profile of chemical value chains.

The award comes at a critical time to Europe’s chemical sector, which faces the dual challenge of decarbonizing production while preserving manufacturing competitiveness, supply security and strategic autonomy. By enabling the production of renewable drop-in chemicals at manufacturing scale, Catalyxx aims to provide a practical pathway to the sector to decrease its carbon footprint without requiring changes in downstream processes.

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