New Facility in the Gulf Coast Will Convert Low-Carbon Ethanol into SAF

Honeywell announced the creation of a new facility in the Gulf Coast region of the USA that will annually produce 250 million gallons of SAF per year from ethanol-based feedstocks.

The new location will make use of the brand’s “Ethanol to Jet” or ETJ technology, licensed to Summit Next Gen. That firm will use the process to convert low-carbon ethanol into Sustainable Jet Fuel. Using base feedstocks like corn, sugar, and cellulose will allow for overall lifecycle emissions to amount to only 20% of those found on traditional petroleum Jet-A. The new location is expected to produce 250 million gallons of SAF every year, with Honeywell providing engineering and technical services to the ongoing operation. The company says that the underlying ETJ technology can be modularized for use off site, too, making this new Gulf location a possible flagship for the overall theory. 

"The creation of Summit Next Gen and our partnership with a technology leader like Honeywell UOP sets a new standard for the agriculture, ethanol, and aviation industries," said Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Summit Agricultural Group. "The agriculture and ethanol industries have a long history of continuous improvement producing more with less, and this has enabled forward-thinking ethanol producers to be favorably positioned for the present challenge of helping aviation reduce its carbon footprint."

"Replacing fossil fuels with SAF enables a material reduction in aviation related GHG emissions. Expanding SAF feedstocks to include ethanol, biomass, and CO2 is essential to increasing the share of SAF of the total jet fuel demand," said Barry Glickman, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions. "We are delighted to collaborate with Summit Next Gen to combine Honeywell UOP ETJ technology with Summit Agricultural Group's experience in low-carbon biofuels to help the aviation industry accelerate its decarbonization."

FMI: www.honeywell.com