UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, recently announced 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.
For more information, go to www.uop.com.
