bp will use Honeywell’s Ecofining technology at five Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) projects across the US, Australia, and Europe in a new partnership.

According to Honeywell, the Ecofining process will help bp achieve its aim to supply 20% of the global SAF market by 2030. Developed with Italian multinational energy company Eni, the Ecofining process converts non-edible natural oils, animal fats and other waste feedstocks to renewable diesel and SAF.

“bp has an established global biofuels business that is positioned for rapid growth utilising Honeywell’s technology,” said Nigel Dunn, senior vice president, Biofuels Growth, bp. “The world’s demand for SAF is set to increase dramatically and bp seeks to play an important role in helping the airlines to decarbonise.”

SAF produced from Honeywell’s Ecofining technology can be used as a drop-in replacement without engine modifications.  Currently it can be used in blends of up to 50% with the remainder as conventional (fossil-based) jet fuel.

Lucian Boldea, president and CEO, Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies said that demand for the firm’s Ecofining technology has more than double over the past two years as SAF global SAF production scales up. Including the new bp refineries, Honeywell has licenced 35 Ecofining plants, with a combined production capacity of 400,000 barrels of SAF a day, to use the technology.

“Honeywell helped pioneer SAF production with its Ecofining process, which has been used to produce SAF commercially since 2016,” said Boldea. “The Honeywell UOP Ecofining process can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% when compared to the emissions from fossil fuels.”

Honeywell’s technology will be installed at bp’s Cherry Point refinery in Blaine, Washington (pictured); Rotterdam II refinery in Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Lingen refinery in Lower Saxony, Germany; Castellón de la Plana refinery in Castellón, Spain and Kwinana Oil refinery in Kwinana, Australia.