Honeywell Launches New Technology forEthanol Aviation Fuel

Honeywell International Inc. said it willlaunch a technology that can increase the availability of low-carbon fuel forethanol production, according to a Reuters report, the MRCHUB website reportedOct. 11 in Moscow.

Honeywell's technology could increase theefficiency of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production to reduce costs.Aviation is considered one of the most difficult industries to decarbonizebecause the fuel is not easily replaced by other energy sources. Refinerieshave been working to increase SAF production to reduce emissions.

As demand for SAF increases, we've beenlooking at different ways to produce more SAF economically, enablinglarge-scale adoption and production to replace a significant portion of theaviation and diesel fuel pools, said Kevin O'Neil, senior business leader forrenewable fuels at Honeywell UOP.

The company said that depending on the typeof ethanol feedstock used, its technology can reduce greenhouse gas emissionsby 80 percent over the life cycle of petroleum-based aviation fuels. In theUnited States, ethanol is made primarily from corn.

SAF plants using Honeywell's technology canbe installed modularly off-site, resulting in lower costs, faster installationand less labor, according to the company's press release. With this approach,producers can build new SAF capacity more than a year faster than traditionalconstruction, the release said. The technology will also enable refiners andother fuel producers to convert existing or idle facilities into SAF productionplants.

In September 2021, the U.S. launched a planto increase SAF production to at least 3 billion gallons per year by 2030 andhave enough SAF to meet 100 percent of aviation fuel demand by 2050, currentlyprojected to be about 35 billion gallons per year. The recent InflationReduction Act (a climate bill that includes incentives for low-carbon fuels)may also accelerate the demand for SAF feedstock.