Honeywell and GranBio Technologies will combine Honeywell’s ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) technology (earlier post) with GranBio’s cellulosic ethanol AVAP technology to produce carbon-neutral sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass residues at GranBio’s forthcoming US demonstration plant.

GranBio’s patented AVAP process converts biomass, including forest and agricultural residues, to pure low-cost, low-carbon-intensity sugars, lignin, and nanocellulose. The cellulosic sugars are converted to both SAF, through Honeywell’s ETJ technology, and biochemicals, through a separate process.

AVAP process

Using forest biomass-derived ethanol from the AVAP process, jet fuel produced from Honeywell’s ethanol to jet fuel process can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero on a total lifecycle basis, compared to petroleum-based jet fuel, according to a life cycle analysis conducted by Michigan Technological University.

GranBio’s AVAP aims to enable worldwide net-zero SAF production by utilizing abundant, low-cost biomass feedstocks and diversification of income streams through value-added products beyond SAF, providing significant cost advantage as compared to other SAF producers.

GranBio’s subsidiary AVAPCO was selected by the US Department of Energy to receive an $80-million grant to support the demonstration plant that will produce ~2 million gallons per year of SAF upon start-up in 2026.

Honeywell now offers solutions across a range of feedstocks to meet the rapidly growing demand for renewable fuels, including SAF. In addition to Honeywell UOP Ecofining, Honeywell’s renewable fuels portfolio includes ethanol-to-jet technology and the recently announced Honeywell UOP eFining (earlier post), which converts green hydrogen and carbon dioxide into eFuels.

GranBio Technologies is a US-based subsidiary of GranBio, a Brazilian industrial biotechnology company.