Honeywell has launched its new hydrocracking technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass, which it claims can produce 3-5 per cent more SAF, with a cost reduction of up to 20 per cent.
According to the company, this technology can also reduce by-product waste streams when compared to other commonly used hydroprocessing technologies.
The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) UnicrackingTM technology takes liquids and waxes from processed biomass – including leftovers from crops, wood waste or food scraps – to produce SAF that’s compliant with aviation industry standards.
“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.
Adding: “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.”
The company shared that DG Fuels recently selected Honeywell’s FT Unicracking technology for its biofuels manufacturing facility in Louisiana.
The facility is the largest in the world for making SAF from the FT process and will produce 13,000 barrels of SAF each day once operations commence in 2028.
Michael Darcy, CEO of DG Fuels, said that using the Honeywell technology, the company will supply enough fuel for more than 30,000 transatlantic flights every year.