Honeywell Unveils New Biocrude Technology for Sustainable Fuel

Shipping and aviation are considered to be some of the hardest to abate sectors when it comes to decarbonization. Together, these two sectors account for a whopping 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that figure is likely going to rise as more goods are shipped and more flights are booked each and every year. But a new biofuels breakthrough may provide a long-range fuel alternative for the heavy transport and aviation industries.

Emissions from the aviation sector have quadrupled since the 1960s, even as flying has become more than twice as energy efficient. And as incomes rise around the world and more and more people fly, emissions will continue to climb. Today, just 10% of the global population uses air travel, but that’s set to change in the near future as global economies continue to develop.

Maritime shipping, meanwhile, remains reliant on heavy fuel oil, also known as bunker oil, the second dirtiest fossil fuel in the world after coal. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if the maritime shipping industry was a country, it would rank as the sixth-highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.

Moreover, aviation and maritime shipping share a common challenge to decarbonization – they carry extremely heavy loads and have very limited opportunities for refuelling. As a result, they need fuels that are extremely energy dense. As a result, “the energy density of oil-based fuels is particularly important in these sectors,” according to Barron’s.

Until now, biomass has not been a feasible option for its replacement, as “the supply of waste oil feedstock is not sufficient to meet demand.” However, Barron’s noted in its 2020 report that “biofuels from cellulosic crops and agricultural wastes are possibilities for the future.”

Well, the future is now. Honeywell, a conglomerate corporation headquartered in the United States, has unveiled a new system that can reportedly convert biomass into ready-to-use renewable fuels. The novel Biocrude Upgrading process technology is designed to run on byproducts from agriculture and forestry to divert waste into a cheap and abundant source of biomass. The result is a more sustainable alternative to marine fuel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and gasoline.

“With higher energy density than many current biofuel alternatives, this renewable marine fuel can extend a vessel’s range without requiring costly engine upgrades,” Honeywell said in a press release posted earlier this week.

The ability to pivot to biofuels without changing engine infrastructure is a critical selling point of the new product. Plus, Honeywell is sweetening the deal by reducing risk and streamlining deployment of the new technology through prefabricated modular plants. One of the things that makes shipping and aviation so hard to abate is that the infrastructure and investments that uphold the sector are “locked into high-carbon pathways for decades.” As such, alternative fuel sources, including biofuels, are needed “for disruption to break through carbon lock-in and path dependency” according to a paper published in the scientific journal Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions in September of last year.

Making a biofuel that is easy to use and cost-effective is therefore critical to creating disruption and driving real change in the shipping and aviation industries. “Honeywell continues to drive innovation in the areas that our customers need most,” Ken West, president of Honeywell Energy and Sustainability Solutions, was quoted by Interesting Engineering. “The maritime industry has a real need for renewable fuels that are immediately available and cost-effective. Our Biocrude Upgrading processing technology can be delivered in modular form, offering savings from the point of installation through to refining and use.”

The biofuels industry is coming off of several boom years in a row, but there is some concern that policy changes could put a damper on the sector. Continued free trade with Canada will be critical to the success of an endeavor like the Biocrude Updating technology, as the country is a critical source of feedstock from its agricultural and forestry sectors. The Trump administration got off to a rocky start in this regard, and only time will tell how future fuel standards and trade policies will unfold.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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