Honeywell and IOCL in green MoU

NEW DELHI: UOP LLC, a Honeywell company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. (IOCL) under which the two companies would collaborate on research and development for a range of biofuels technologies and projects in India.

The companies would evaluate installation of a demonstration-scale unit to produce green transportation fuels at an existing IOCL site using non-food feedstocks available within India.IOCL and Honeywell’s UOP would also evaluate the viability of pyrolysis oil technology to convert lignocellulosic materials, or plant biomass, into renewable power and heat.  

IOCL would also focus on research and development for the production of algal oil for use as a feedstock in the green fuels production. 

“This collaboration is focused on the development of viable and sustainable green fuels that will enable reduced greenhouse gas emissions in India,” said Jennifer Holmgren, vice president and general manager of Honeywell UOP’s Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit. “We are honored to work with IOCL to support this initiative and movement toward a reduced carbon footprint in India.”

 “We have to reduce the carbon footprint of our business operations at least by 25 per cent from the present level. It is not only our moral responsibility, but also necessary for sustaining the growth of our business. Green operation will allow us to reduce costs by reducing the energy intensity of our operations and thereby becoming cost competitive. It also helps us produce more from the same or even less inputs. We are looking forward to working with UOP to bring together our respective areas of expertise and achieve these goals,” said Anand Kumar, director of research and development for IOCL.

The UOP/Eni Ecofining process uses catalytic hydroprocessing technology to convert natural oils and animal fats to Honeywell Green Diesel fuel. The product, which is chemically indistinguishable from traditional diesel fuel, offers improved performance including a higher cetane value, excellent cold-flow performance and reduced emissions over both biodiesel and petroleum-based diesel. Green Diesel offers value as a blending stock for refiners seeking to enhance existing diesel fuels and expand the diesel pool.

Honeywell’s UOP has also developed process technology to produce Honeywell Green Jet fuel under a contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for both military and commercial aircraft. The process produces a fuel that meets all critical specifications for flight while offering reduced emissions and improved energy density to enable aircraft to fly farther on less fuel. 

In 2008, Honeywell’s UOP formed the joint venture Envergent Technologies LLC with Ensyn Corp. to offer RTP® rapid thermal processing technology that converts biomass such as forest waste or agricultural residuals into pyrolysis oil, which can be used to generate heat and power.