Honeywell and GranBio Technologies announced they will combine Honeywell’s ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) technology with GranBio’s cellulosic ethanol AVAP technology to produce carbon-neutral sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass residues at GranBio’s forthcoming U.S. demonstration plant.
GranBio’s AVAP process converts biomass, including forest and agricultural residues, to pure low-cost, low-carbon-intensity sugars, lignin and nanocellulose. The cellulosic sugars are converted to both SAF, through Honeywell’s ETJ technology, and biochemicals, through a separate process.
Using forest biomass-derived ethanol from the AVAP process, jet fuel produced from Honeywell's ETJ fuel process can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero on a total lifecycle basis, compared to petroleum-based jet fuel, according to a lifecycle analysis conducted by Michigan Technological University.
GranBio’s subsidiary AVAPCO was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive an $80M grant to support the demonstration plant that will produce ~2 million gallons per year of SAF upon start-up in 2026. According to Kim Nelson, GranBio’s chief technology officer, the company is still evaluating potential sites across the United States for the demonstration plant.
GranBio Technologies is a U.S.-based subsidiary of GranBio, a Brazilian industrial biotechnology company that creates solutions to transform biomass into renewable products.
