Mumbai — Honeywell announced that Verso Energy will use Honeywell UOP’s eFining™ methanol-to-jet processing technology to produce electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) at seven planned facilities in France, Finland and the United States.
According to the announcement, the technology uses carbon dioxide from biological sources, renewable power and hydrogen to produce electrofuels, including eSAF. When blended with conventional jet fuel, eSAF can be used in existing aircraft and fueling infrastructure. Honeywell said eSAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 88% compared to conventional jet fuel, based on its carbon intensity analysis derived from a third-party study of methanol production from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide captured from biomass processing.
Verso Energy expects the seven facilities to produce about 200 million gallons of eSAF annually. Antoine Huard, chief executive officer of Verso Energy, said efficient production will be important as airlines work to comply with regional requirements, including the European Union’s ReFuel EU initiative, which mandates that aviation fuel supply reach at least 35% eSAF by 2050.
Barry Glickman, vice president of Honeywell Low Carbon Energy, said the technology is intended to address cost and feedstock availability in renewable fuel production.
Verso Energy has received EU Innovation Fund awards for its DEZiR and ReSTart projects, which are planned as large-scale eSAF facilities in Europe. The DEZiR project also received funding from the French government and is expected to begin operations in 2030.
