Honeywell has introduced its new, UOP eFining technology, a ready-now solution for producing low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). HIF Global, the world’s leading eFuels company, intends to deploy the new technology to produce eSAF at its second US eFuels facility— its first eSAF facility in the US.

eFuels, also known as electrofuels, are a class of synthetic fuels produced via the processing of CO₂ with green hydrogen that can replace conventionally produced fossil fuels.

Honeywell’s UOP eFining is a methanol-to-jet fuel (MTJ) processing technology that can convert eMethanol to eSAF reliably and at scale. The Honeywell UOP eFining technology processes eMethanol into a light olefin stream utilizing Honeywell’s methanol-to-olefins process, which is then oligomerized, hydrogenated and finally fractionated to produce eSAF.

The technology is efficient, resulting in high-yield eSAF production at a lower cost relative to comparable technologies, Honeywell says.

Honeywell UOP eFining can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 88% compared to conventional jet fuel. When blended with conventional jet fuel, eSAF is a drop-in replacement fuel that requires no changes to aircraft technology or fuel infrastructure.

HIF Global is the first customer to sign a commercial agreement for the production of eSAF using Honeywell UOP eFining. HIF expects to deploy the solution at its second commercial-scale eFuels facility in the US. The HIF eSAF project is expected to be the world’s largest eSAF facility, recycling approximately 2 million tons of captured CO₂ to make approximately 11,000 barrels per day of eSAF by 2030.

HIF Global also announced an agreement with Johnson Matthey for the production of the eMethanol. Johnson Matthey’s technology will use green hydrogen and recycled CO₂ to produce eMethanol which can be used in the shipping and chemical industries or upgraded into other eFuels including eSAF. Johnson Matthey’s technology is producing eMethanol today at the HIF Haru Oni Demonstration Plant in Chile. (Earlier post.)

eFuels are a replacement for fossil fuels and are a necessary solution for decarbonizing global transportation. At HIF Global, we have already demonstrated the capability to produce eMethanol for marine transport and eGasoline for road transport with the 2022 start-up of the HIF Haru Oni Demonstration Facility in southern Patagonia, Chile, where the wind is blowing all the time. Together with Johnson Matthey and Honeywell, we intend to deliver an eFuel solution for airplanes before 2030.

—Meg Gentle, Executive Director of HIF Global

Air travel is the most challenging sector of the global transportation infrastructure to decarbonize, with limited low carbon alternatives to serve growing demand for jet fuel. The simplicity of eFuels is that they are produced from air and water for use in existing engines. eSAF produced using Honeywell’s technology can reduce CO₂ emissions compared to conventional jet fuel by 88%. When blended with conventional jet fuel, eSAF can be dropped-in immediately to existing jet engines with no modifications required.

—Renato Pereira, CEO of HIF USA