Swiss specialty chemical company Clariant will provide catalysts for Spanish energy giant Repsol’s Ecoplanta waste-to-methanol plant in El Morell near Tarragona, Spain.
It is understood that the facility will operate using Canadian Enerkem’s waste gasification process, supported by a range of Clariant’s syngas purification catalysts and MegaMax methanol synthesis catalysts.
As explained, after gasification of municipal waste, the trap and guard catalysts will be used to remove all types of impurities. The purified syngas will then be converted to methanol using the MegaMax series catalysts. According to Clariant, the catalyst can optimize methanol yield while reducing operating costs. Furthermore, MegaMax is said to offer enhanced selectivity, which reportedly reduces the formation of by-products and thus improves the sustainability and economics of bio-methanol production.
Georg Anfang, Vice President, Syngas and Fuels at Clariant Catalysts, commented: “We are proud to collaborate with Repsol and Enerkem in the prestigious Ecoplanta project to support Europe’s energy transition. Leveraging our decades of innovations in methanol synthesis catalysts, Clariant is uniquely positioned to drive the large-scale deployment of low-carbon methanol technologies that will play a decisive role in decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries.”
Michel Chornet, CEO of Enerkem, stated: “We are excited to contribute to the Ecoplanta project and set an inspiring example for others on the path to decarbonization. Our technology not only enables large-scale production of low-carbon methanol and the reduction of waste in landfills but also avoids substantial greenhouse gas emissions. According to estimates, abatement will be equivalent to 3.4 million tons of CO2 in the first 10 years of operation.”
To note, the Ecoplanta facility is expected to become the first plant in Europe to produce renewable and circular methanol from waste through gasification. As disclosed, it will have the capacity to process up to 400,000 tons of non-recyclable solid municipal waste annually to produce 240,000 tons of methanol. It is scheduled for completion in 2029.
In October 2025, Repsol entered an 8-year agreement to supply renewable marine fuels, including methanol from Ecoplanta, to cruise company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH). Renewable fuels are set to be supplied directly to NCLH’s vessels across its cruise brands – Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises – when calling at the Port of Barcelona.