Catalyxx chooses Portugal for first site

Biobased chemicals company Catalyxx has named Sines in Portugal as the location for its first commercial-scale plant. The company said that it selected Sines for its world-class industrial infrastructure, a deep-water port, excellent logistics connectivity and access to renewable energy. The Portuguese government has granted it Project of National Interest status. Construction should begin in Q4.

This followed an award of €20 million in EU funding through the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) to RenewChem. This a flagship project of a consortium that also includes Arkema and Evonik and aims to accelerate the deployment of renewable drop-in chemicals and support the transition toward a more sustainable and independent European chemical industry

The facility will cost about €120 million and will produce butanol, hexanol and octanol from bioethanol as a low-carbon, drop-in alternative to petrochemical production routes for use in coatings, resins, adhesives, lubricants, surfactants, home and personal care, flavours and fragrances, and sustainable fuels. The company had previously validated its proprietary catalytic process under continuous operating conditions at a demonstration facility in Seville, Spain.