Hydrocracking technology can produce SAF at lower costs: Honeywell

MUMBAI: Honeywell on Thursday announced its hydrocracking technology can be used to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass, helping to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that is 90% less carbon intensive than traditional fossil-based jet fuels.

“The new technology produces 3-5% more SAF enables a cost reduction of up to 20% and reduces by-product waste streams as compared to other commonly used hydroprocessing technologies,” said the company in a press statement.

The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) UnicrackingTM technology takes liquids and waxes from processed biomass – including leftovers from crops, wood waste or food scraps – and can be used to produce SAF that complies with the strict standards of the aviation industry and with a lower environmental impact, said the Honeywell statement.

In October last year, Honeywell had announced plans to realign its business segments to three compelling megatrends: automation, the future of aviation, and energy transition. The company had announced that the new segmentation will take effect beginning first quarter 2024. The latest innovation involving hydrocracking technology for production of SAF demonstrates the alignment of its portfolio with the three megatrends, it added.

“As demand for SAF continues to grow, the aviation industry is challenged by limited supplies of traditional SAF feedstocks such as vegetable oils, animal fats and waste oils,” said Ken West, president and CEO of Honeywell Energy and Sustainability Solutions. “When combined with the existing Fischer-Tropsch process, our new technology will expand the feedstock options available in the industry to sources that are more plentiful, ultimately helping improve our customers’ ability to produce SAF.”

Recently, DG Fuels selected Honeywell’s FT Unicracking technology for its biofuels manufacturing facility in Louisiana – the largest in the world for making SAF from the FT process – that will produce 13,000 barrels of SAF each day when it begins operations in 2028.

“Using Honeywell's advanced technology, DG Fuels will supply enough fuel for more than 30,000 transatlantic flights every year, contributing significantly to reducing the carbon emissions of global air travel,” said Michael Darcy, CEO of DG Fuels. “This is a big leap forward in supporting the airline industry's goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050.”

“Honeywell helped pioneer SAF production with its Ecofining TM process, which has been used to produce the fuel commercially since 2016. The company now offers solutions across a range of feedstocks to meet the rapidly growing demand for renewable fuels, including SAF,” said the company. In addition to Honeywell Unicracking and Ecofining, Honeywell's renewable fuels portfolio includes Ethanol to Jet technology and eFining™, which converts green hydrogen and carbon dioxide into e-fuels. More than 50 sites globally have licensed Honeywell's SAF technologies, with refineries projected to exceed a combined capacity of more than 500,000 barrels of SAF per day when fully operational.