Honeywell and Jiutai Group partner to produce 100,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel

By Staff Report August 9, 2024 12:11 pm

Inner Mongolia Jiutai Group has chosen Honeywell’s UOP eFiningTM technology to produce 100,000 metric tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) per year from eMethanol.

Honeywell has disclosed that Inner Mongolia Jiutai Group (Jiutai) has selected its UOP eFining^TM technology to support the production of 100,000 metric tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) per year from eMethanol. The agreement represents Honeywell’s first global commercial eFining license and supports the company’s alignment of its portfolio to three compelling megatrends: the future of aviation, energy transition, and automation.

Honeywell eFining is a methanol-to-jet (MTJ) processing technology that turns eMethanol into eSAF, a low-carbon jet fuel, and does so reliably at scale and at a lower cost than similar technologies. By using methanol produced from carbon dioxide (CO2) and green hydrogen, Honeywell’s eFining technology expands the type of feedstock that can be used for SAF and can also reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 88 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.

William Yu, President of Honeywell China, said, “Honeywell’s extensive technical expertise and practical experience in SAF have enabled us to identify innovative ways in which flexible feedstocks can be used to support aviation’s energy transition. This collaboration not only marks the first commercial license for SAF production using Honeywell’s eFining technology but also showcases our commitment to contributing to the sustainable development of the global aviation industry as we drive progress towards a low-carbon future.”

Inner Mongolia Jiutai Group will use eFining to convert its methanol-to-olefins (MTO) facility into a SAF production plant. By leveraging abundant wind resources in northwest China, Honeywell and Inner Mongolia Jiutai Group aim to have highly efficient SAF production.

Cui Lianguo, Chairman of Jiutai Group, said, “With more than a century of technological innovation, Honeywell has established a strong partnership with Jiutai over the years. Through this collaboration, Jiutai will integrate surplus capacity from our MTO facility and utilise Honeywell’s technology to produce SAF. This partnership not only drives our group’s energy transformation but also contributes to the aviation industry’s sustainability future.”

Honeywell’s eFining technology is one of the latest in its line of offerings and is helping to drive the decarbonisation of the aviation sector. The company, in collaboration with Eni S.p.A., helped pioneer SAF production with its EcofiningTM process, which has been used to produce the fuel commercially since 2016. Honeywell now offers solutions across a range of feedstocks to meet the rapidly growing demand for renewable fuels, including SAF, which is a crucial solution for reducing emissions in the aviation industry. More than 50 sites globally have licensed Honeywell’s SAF technologies, with refineries projected to exceed a combined capacity of more than 500,000 barrels of SAF per day when fully operational.