08-05-2012

Honeywell Green Diesel™ to be produced from bio feedstocks in U.S. facility

UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced today that it has signed an agreement to license technology to Emerald Biofuels LLC to produce Honeywell Green Diesel™ at a facility in Louisiana.

Emerald is expected to use Honeywell’s UOP/Eni Ecofining™ process technology to produce 85 million gallons per year of Honeywell Green Diesel from non-edible, second-generation oils and animal fats. Unlike biodiesel, Honeywell Green Diesel is a drop-in replacement for traditional diesel. Chemically identical to petroleum-based diesel, Honeywell Green Diesel can be used in any proportion in existing fuel tanks without infrastructure changes.

Emerald is an Illinois-based transportation fuel company that focuses on building renewable diesel refineries that produce environmentally friendly transportation fuels at prices competitive to petroleum-based fuels. International Alliance Group (IAG) will provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the project.

“We are very pleased to work with Emerald in its efforts to advance the production of biofuels through this breakthrough project in the U.S.,” said Jim Rekoske, vice president and general manager of Honeywell’s UOP Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit. “We are proud to offer a technology solution that supports diesel production, while lessening the environmental impact of fuel production through the use of alternative feedstocks and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Honeywell’s UOP and Eni SpA jointly developed the UOP/Eni Ecofining process, which uses hydroprocessing technology to convert non-edible natural oils and animal fats to Honeywell Green Diesel. The fuel offers improved performance over biodiesel and petroleum-based diesel, including a high cetane value of 80 compared with a cetane range of 40 to 60 found in diesel at the pump today. Cetane value is the measure of the combustion quality of diesel. Higher cetane values help diesel engines operate more effectively.

Honeywell Green Diesel offers high energy density, excellent performance at cold or warm temperatures, and features up to an 80 percent lifecycle reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with diesel from petroleum. Honeywell Green Diesel offers value as a blending stock for refiners seeking to enhance existing diesel and to expand the diesel pool.
Honeywell’s UOP, the recognized leader in developing process technology for the refining, petrochemical, and gas processing and hydrogen industries, offers technologies to convert natural oils and plant biomass into valuable fuels.

In addition to the UOP/Eni Ecofining technology, since launching its renewable energy and chemicals business in 2007, the company commercialized the UOP Renewable Jet Fuel Process under a contract with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to produce Honeywell Green Jet Fuel™ for the U.S. military. It produces an aviation biofuel that can be blended seamlessly with petroleum-based fuel.

In 2008, Honeywell’s UOP partnered with Ensyn Corp. to form a joint venture, Envergent Technologies LLC, to offer RTP® rapid thermal processing technology and equipment for the production of renewable heat, power and transportation fuels. RTP technology is currently in use in seven commercial biomass processing plants in the U.S. and Canada.