Commercial-Scale Renewable Jet Fuel Produced Using Honeywell UOP Technology

Honeywell UOP says its technology is being used to produce commercial-scale amounts of renewable jet and diesel fuels.

AltAir Paramount is using Honeywell UOP’s renewable jet fuel process technology to convert a variety of sustainable feedstocks into Honeywell Green Jet Fuel at the world’s first dedicated commercial-scale renewable jet fuel production facility. The plant, located near the Los Angeles International Airport, has also produced Honeywell Green Diesel.

AltAir is the second US fuel producer using Honeywell UOP technology to produce renewable fuels and the first producing jet fuel, joining Diamond Green Diesel, which is producing renewable diesel in Louisiana.

The renewable jet fuel process makes Honeywell Green Jet Fuel as well as Honeywell Green Diesel from a range of feedstocks such as used cooking oil, inedible corn oil, tallow, camelina, jatropha and algae. The process is compatible with existing refinery equipment commonly used in today’s refineries, making it easier for refiners to use existing infrastructure to produce renewable fuels, the company says.

Honeywell Green Diesel offers up to an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions versus diesel from petroleum, the company says. Chemically identical to petroleum diesel, Honeywell Green Diesel can be used in any proportion in existing fuel tanks without infrastructure changes. Unlike biodiesel, Honeywell Green Diesel is a drop-in replacement for traditional diesel.

In aircraft, Honeywell Green Jet Fuel can replace as much as 50 percent of petroleum jet fuel used in flight, without any changes to the aircraft technology, while meeting the current ASTM jet fuel specifications for flight, the company says. Depending on the feedstock, Honeywell Green Jet Fuel can offer a 65 to 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with petroleum-based jet fuel.

Honeywell’s announcement comes as regulatory bodies in the US and internationally are cracking down on aviation emissions. Earlier this year the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nation’s aviation body, proposed carbon pollution limits for airplanes. The EPA last year said greenhouse gas emissions generated by commercial aircraft contribute to global warming and endanger human health, a declaration that lays the groundwork for regulating domestic aircraft emissions.

Headquartered in Paramount, California, AltAir Paramount has developed and operates several units at a Paramount Petroleum (a subsidiary of Alon USA Energy) refinery for the production of low carbon fuels and chemicals derived from sustainable feedstocks. AltAir revamped portions of the petroleum refinery in Paramount and is now producing renewable transportation fuels for commercial and military use. United Airlines announced in 2013 its intention to buy 15 million gallons of renewable jet fuel from AltAir over a three-year period.