Honeywell, a global leader in advanced technologies, has announced its new UOP eFining technology, which can produce low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
HIF Global, the leading company for eFuels, will utilize the UOP eFining technology in its second US eFuels facility to produce eSAF. Electrofuels (eFuels), a class of synthetic fuels produced from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide, can replace traditional fossil fuels. These fuels can be transformed into a wide range of sustainable fuels, including eSAF, eGasoline, and eDiesel.
Honeywell UOP eFining is an MTJ (methanol to jet fuel) processing technology that can produce eSAF efficiently, reliably and at scale. This advanced technology offers high-yield eSAF production with a low-cost compared to its counterparts, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 88% when compared to conventional jet fuel. eSAF is a drop-in replacement fuel blended with traditional jet fuel, requiring no changes to aircraft technology or fuel infrastructure.
Lucian Boldea, President and CEO of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies, stated that creating technologies using new feedstocks is critical for decarbonizing the aviation industry. With the HIF eSAF project, Honeywell and HIF Global aim to recycle around 2 million tons of CO2 to produce approximately 11,000 barrels per day of eSAF by 2030, making it the world’s largest eSAF facility.
Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures, supports new technologies’ development to bring additional quantities of SAF to the market. United Airlines is proud to be the first airline to use SAF in regular operations. Still, to reach its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 without relying on traditional carbon offsets, the airline has to increase its SAF consumption.
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, announced in 2021 by the Biden Administration, targets the production of at least three billion gallons of SAF per year by 2030. The European Council’s ReFuelEU Aviation rules, part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package, aim to increase the share of sustainable fuels at EU airports from a minimum of 2% in 2025 to 70% by 2050, with an additional subtarget for eSAF of 1.2% by 2030 and 35% in 2050.
Honeywell’s UOP eFining™ technology provides an integrated design that can process flexible feedstocks with commercially proven processes, resulting in low energy intensity, minimized capital expenditures, and operational reliability. This latest technology offered by Honeywell is driving the decarbonization of the aviation sector, making it an ideal solution for the aviation industry’s growing demand for SAF.
