Cepsa promises first sustainable isopropyl alcohol plant

The Spanish oil and chemical firm Cepsa will spend $80 million to build at its site in Huelva, Spain, what it calls the world’s first plant for producing sustainable isopropyl alcohol. Scheduled to be operational by 2025, the plant will use only renewable or biobased raw materials. Cepsa plans to make the plant carbon neutral by using renewable energy and green hydrogen, which it will produce locally through a partnership with the fertilizer producer Fertiberia. Isopropyl alcohol is a disinfectant in high demand for hand sanitizer gel and related applications. It is also used in cleaning products, electronics, cosmetics, and paints, and as a solvent. The sustainable nature of the product will also open doors to new uses, says José Maria Solana, Cepsa’s vice president for chemicals, in a press release. In a related effort, Cepsa is substituting renewables for fossil fuel–derived materials in its production of linear alkylbenzene and phenol.