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Honeywell to make lower-carbon aviation fuel from ethanol
Published by Jessica Weisman-Pitts
Posted on October 10, 2022
2 min readLast updated: February 3, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Jessica Weisman-Pitts
Posted on October 10, 2022
2 min readLast updated: February 3, 2026
By Stephanie Kelly
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Tech firm Honeywell International Inc will roll out technology that could increase supplies of lower-carbon aviation fuel produced from ethanol, the company said Monday, as the Biden administration calls for the aviation industry to reduce emissions.
Honeywell’s technology can increase production efficiency of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to lower costs. The airline sector is considered one of the most difficult to decarbonize as fuel cannot be easily replaced with other kinds of power. Oil refiners have been trying to increase production of SAF to try to lower emissions.
“As demand for SAF has increased, we’ve been looking at different ways to make more SAF economically that people can adopt and adopt at large-scale and produce to displace significant fractions of the jet and diesel pools,” Kevin O’Neil, senior business leader for renewable fuels at Honeywell UOP, said.
The company says, depending on the type of ethanol feedstock used, that its technology can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% on a total lifecycle basis compared with petroleum-based jet fuel. Ethanol is primarily made from corn in the United States.
In September 2021, the Biden administration launched an effort to boost output to at least 3 billion gallons of SAF per year by 2030 and have enough SAF by 2050 “to meet 100% of aviation fuel demand, currently projected to be around 35 billion gallons a year.”
The recent Inflation Reduction Act, a massive climate bill that includes incentives for lower-carbon fuels, is also likely to accelerate demand for SAF feedstocks.
Many producers have chosen to make sustainable aviation fuel from feedstocks with lower carbon-intensity, such as grease and animal fat.
(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a type of fuel designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional jet fuel. It can be produced from renewable resources like ethanol, reducing the carbon footprint of air travel.
Ethanol is a type of alcohol used as a renewable fuel source, primarily produced from corn in the United States. It can be converted into sustainable aviation fuel to help reduce emissions in the aviation industry.
The Inflation Reduction Act is a significant climate bill in the U.S. that includes incentives for lower-carbon fuels, aiming to accelerate the production of sustainable aviation fuel and other renewable energy sources.
Greenhouse gas emissions are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. They include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, often produced from burning fossil fuels.
Decarbonization refers to the process of reducing carbon dioxide emissions associated with energy production and consumption. It is a key goal in combating climate change and transitioning to sustainable energy sources.
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