Honeywell has announced a new, innovative Ethanol-To-Jet Fuel (ETJ) processing technology that will allow producers to convert corn-based, cellulosic, or sugar-based ethanol into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Development for this technology was undertaken at the Honeywell India Technology Center in Gurugram.
“At COP26, India committed to getting 50% of its energy requirements from renewable sources,” said Ashish Gaikwad, Vice President and General Manager, Honeywell UOP India. “India has already identified biofuels as one of the ways to achieve energy security and could look at ETJ as an enabler to India’s 2070 emission reduction targets,” he further said.
Developed by engineers at Honeywell India Technology Center in Gurugram, this technology provides the country with an alternative to help reduce reliance on fossil fuels for India’s growing aviation sector, Gaikwad said.
Jet fuel produced from Honeywell’s ETJ process can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% on a total lifecycle basis (depending on the type of ethanol feedstock used), compared to petroleum-based jet fuel, the company claimed.
A 2021 life-cycle analysis by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory concluded that ETJ conversion, combined with other technologies such as Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCUS) and smart farming practices, can result in negative GHG emissions compared to petroleum-based jet fuel.
“Honeywell pioneered SAF production with its Ecofining technology, and our new ethanol-to-jet fuel process builds on that original innovation to support the global aviation sector’s efforts to reduce GHG emissions and meet SAF production targets with an abundant feedstock like ethanol,” said Barry Glickman, Vice President and General Manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions.
“Honeywell’s ethanol- to-jet process, when used as a standalone or when coupled with Honeywell carbon capture technology, is ready now to provide a pathway to lower carbon-intensity SAF,” Glickman said.
