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Catalyxx to build first commercial-scale bio-based chemicals plant in Portugal
Catalyxx has selected Sines, Portugal, as the location for its first commercial-scale renewable chemicals facility. The plant will produce bio-based butanol, hexanol and octanol from bioethanol, with construction scheduled to begin by Q4 2026.
Catalyxx has announced that its first commercial-scale plant, Catalyxx Ibérica, will be built in Sines, Portugal. The facility is designed to produce butanol, hexanol and octanol from bioethanol and represents a total investment of EUR 120 million. The company cites the site’s industrial infrastructure, deep-water port, logistics connectivity and access to renewable energy as the primary reasons for selecting Sines.
The Portuguese Government has granted the project Project of National Interest (PIN) status, recognising its contribution to domestic industrial development, innovation, sustainability and economic growth. This designation provides the project with an accelerated regulatory approval process. The project has also secured its key environmental approvals, which Catalyxx describes as a milestone reinforcing the project’s readiness to move into the construction phase.
Engineering partners and funding secured
Construction is scheduled to begin by Q4 2026. Worley, a global company of energy, chemicals and resources experts, and Quadrante, an engineering and sustainability consultancy, are supporting the engineering activities. The project is financed through a combination of private investment and public funding, including EUR 20 million awarded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU).
The Sines plant builds on operational experience gained at Catalyxx’s demonstration facility in Sevilla, Spain, where the company validated its proprietary catalytic process under continuous operating conditions and generated data to support industrial scale-up. The company positions the Sines facility as the basis for its further expansion in low-carbon chemicals and fuels.
Bio-based chemicals and CO₂ reduction
Catalyxx states that the Sines facility is expected to avoid approximately 105,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. The company also anticipates that the project will attract additional private and institutional investment into Portugal and support the development of new sustainable value chains within the country’s industrial ecosystem.
