Catalyxx invests 120 million euros in Portugal to industrialize its technology for producing bio-based alcohols from bioethanol

The Spanish company Catalyxx has made part. part of its choice to the establishment of its future factory. The producer of renewable alcohol has therefore set its sights on the city of Sines, Portugal, to the manufacturing deployment of its methodology. Thus, the company will invest 120 million euros in one of the main manufacturing and logistics centers in Europe. Catalyxx wanting to position itself as a major player in bio-based chemistry, the Spanish company has supported its choice of location on manufacturing infrastructures, the deep-aquatic environments port, logistical connectivity and renewable energy access to the site to secure.

The future Catalyxx Iberica unit-recognized as a project of national interest by the Portuguese government-will allow the production of butanol, expanol and octanol from bioethanol. It is part of the frame of a European flagship unit project (selected by the CBE JU), RenewChem, aimed at demonstrating the first manufacturing-scale production of bio-based alcohols from ethanol. Led by Catalyxx, this European consortium-which includes Arkema and Evonik-has the final objective of accelerating the deployment of renewable chemicals in drop-in solutions. «Our Catalyxx Ibecéma site brand a new measure in Catalyxx's mission: to replace fossil-based chemicals with chemically identical renewable substitutes, perfectly compatible with existing manufacturing applications and exhibiting significantly reduce carbon intensity, "said Alalín. If Arkema has taken part. part in this consortium, it is because the French specialty chemist has been evaluating since 2025 (through a strategic partnership with Catalyxx) the consumption of bio-alcohols as raw materials to a commercial production of acrylic resins with biosourcely acrylic resins. These resins could replace fossil solutions in high performance applications in coatings, adhesives, electric mobility, comfort of life as well as sustainable infrastructure.

To validate its catalytic transformation process, Catalyxx relied on its demonstration unit in Seville (Spain). The future unit will build immediately on these achievements and serve as a "springboard to Catalyxx's global expansion stockings carbon chemicals and fuels." The start of the Portuguese construction site is expected to the fourth quarter of 2026. In order to develop this unit, Catalyxx was able to count on a wetsuit of private investment and general financing, including funding to the tune of 20 million euros from the part. part of the JU CBE.

To develop this process, the current regulation team of Catalyxx-then working at Abengoa Bioenergy-joined forces with the Spanish chemical methodology institute ITQ. This collaboration with an internationally recognized center of expertise in heterogeneous catalytic processes and cutting-edge materials has provided the foundation to Catalyxx's core methodology. If the ITQ laboratories took charge of the catalytic formulation, the Escuela tecnica Superior de Ingenieros in Seville carried out the engineering and process research work.