Honeywell has announced a new technology that converts agricultural and forestry waste into renewable fuels suitable for sectors with high carbon emissions, such as maritime shipping. The process produces marine fuel, gasoline, and sustainable aviation fuel from biomass sources like wood chips and crop residues.
The company states that these “drop-in” fuels offer ship operators a lower-carbon alternative to traditional heavy fuel oil. The renewable marine fuel is said to have higher energy density than many existing biofuel options, allowing vessels to travel farther without engine modifications.
Ken West, president of Honeywell Energy and Sustainability Solutions, said: “Honeywell continues to drive innovation in the areas that our customers need most. The maritime industry has a real need for renewable fuels that are immediately available and cost effective. Our Biocrude Upgrading processing technology can be delivered in modular form, offering savings from the point of installation through to refining and use.”
According to Honeywell, converting plant and agricultural waste into biocrude at collection sites helps reduce transportation costs. This biocrude can then be refined at major facilities into marine fuel, gasoline or sustainable aviation fuel using the company’s new process technology. The approach aims to address previous challenges with turning biocrudes into fuels that perform similarly to conventional options.
The Biocrude Upgrading process is available as a prefabricated modular plant, which Honeywell says can help customers reduce risk by simplifying construction activities and speeding up project timelines.
This announcement comes as shipping companies face increasing pressure from both regulatory bodies and customers to lower their carbon footprints. Since the 1960s, heavy fuel oil has been the main energy source for maritime transport—a sector responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy (https://www.energy.gov/eere/maritime-decarbonization).
Honeywell has previously developed other renewable fuels technologies such as EcofiningTM, Ethanol to Jet technology, Fischer-Tropsch Unicracking technology, and UOP eFining—a process converting green hydrogen and carbon dioxide into e-fuels. More information on these solutions is available on Honeywell’s website: https://uop.honeywell.com/en/industry-solutions/renewable-fuels.
Honeywell operates globally across multiple industries including aerospace, building automation, industrial automation, process automation and process technology.
For more news about Honeywell visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
