Honeywell launches new ethanol-to-jet technology
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
Honeywell has announced a new ethanol-to-jet fuel (ETJ) processing technology that allows producers to convert corn-based, cellulosic, or sugar-based ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel.
Press release: "Honeywell Revolutionizes Ethanol-To-Jet Fuel Technology to Meet Rising Demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel", 10/10/2022.
Related posts: "Alcohol-To-Fuel", 02/07/2018.
Figure 1. UOP’s ethanol to jet (ETJ) process technology
Demand for SAF continues to grow, yet the aviation industry is challenged by limited supplies of traditional SAF feedstocks such as vegetable oils, animal fats and waste oils. Ethanol offers producers a widely available, economically viable feedstock. Honeywell's ready now technology uses high-performance catalysts and heat management capabilities to maximize production efficiency, resulting in a cost-effective, lower carbon intensity aviation fuel. Depending on the type of ethanol feedstock used, jet fuel produced from Honeywell's ethanol-to-jet fuel process can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% on a total lifecycle basis, compared to petroleum-based jet fuel (based on the EPA's summary LCA of GHG emissions for sugarcane).
SAF plants using Honeywell's technology can be modularized off site enabling lower installed costs and faster, less labor-intensive installation compared to job site construction. By utilizing Honeywell's ETJ technology and an integrated, modular construction approach, producers can build new SAF capacity more than a year faster than is possible with traditional construction approaches. Petroleum refiners and transportation fuel producers can also benefit from Honeywell's ETJ design that is purpose-built to enable conversion of current or idle facilities into SAF production plants, potentially maximizing use of exiting sites for SAF production to meet the growing market demand.