USA BioEnergy selects Johnson Matthey, Honeywell process technologies for SAF project in Texas
- USA BioEnergy
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
USA BioEnergy announced Sept. 10 it has selected Johnson Matthey and Honeywell to provide their industry-leading process technologies to USA BioEnergy to produce synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) at its Bon Wier, Texas, biorefinery.
JM/BP’s award-winning FT CANS technology and Honeywell UOP’s FT Unicracking process technology, which both use the Fischer-Tropsch pathway, will be deployed to produce SPK that complies with strict aviation-industry standards once blended with conventional jet fuel.
Once operational in 2030, the Bon Wier plant is expected to convert 1 million tons of biomass annually—using responsibly sourced forest thinnings as feedstock—into 65 million gallons of transportation fuels, including SAF.
At the facility, USA BioEnergy will also implement Honeywell’s Experion® PKS Distributed Control System and safety system to ensure optimal performance, reliability and safety.
“We are excited to add two of the world’s leading technology providers to our team,” said Tony Wedell, the chief operating officer of USA BioEnergy. “We are creating the best fully integrated solution in the advanced fuels industry.”
Nick Andrews, CEO of USA BioEnergy, added, “By utilizing forest thinnings for bioenergy production with carbon capture and sequestration technologies, our integration with Johnson Matthey and Honeywell will help us create this fully integrated, alternative fuels solution.”
Alberto Giovanzana, JM’s managing director of licensing, said, “This project is another great example of FT CANS being deployed at scale to support the decarbonization of air travel. It builds on our existing pipeline in the U.S., showing continued support for projects that contribute to domestic energy security, fuel security and jobs.”
Rajesh Gattupalli, president of Honeywell UOP, said, “Honeywell is committed to addressing feedstock-availability challenges in SAF production and scale by pioneering technologies that expand feedstock options. Through our collaboration with USA BioEnergy, this project is another great example of the important role alternative fuels play in supporting America’s energy security.”
In November 2023, USA BioEnergy entered into a 20-year offtake agreement with Southwest Airlines for the purchase of up to 680 million gallons of SPK.
If blended with fossil jet fuel to meet international standards, this quantity could yield 2.59 billion gallons of SAF, helping to meet International Air Transport Association emission goals to achieve net zero by 2050.
