Energy company St1’s refinery in Sweden, is using Ecofining technology supplied by US engineering conglomerate Honeywell to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Jointly owned by St1 and Swedish forestry company Svenska Cellulosa SCA, the Gothenburg plant would produce 200,000 tonnes/year of renewable fuels from feedstocks, including used cooking oil (UCO), animal fats, and tall oil fatty acids from paper and pulp mills, Honeywell said on 15 October.
In addition to SAF, which would be supplied to regional airlines including Braathens Regional Airlines, the biorefinery would produce biodiesel, bio-naphtha, and bio liquid petroleum gas, the company said.
“The Gothenburg biorefinery is a significant milestone in our energy transition roadmap and an important step in St1’s journey towards more sustainable energy production,” St1 head of Refining, Projects & HSSE Miika Eerola said.
The SAF produced at St1’s facility would support the European Union (EU)’s ReFuelEU initiative, which required aviation fuel to contain a blend of at least 2% SAF from 2025, increasing to 70% by 2050, Honeywell said.
Developed in conjunction with Eni SpA, the Honeywell UOP Ecofining process converts non-edible natural oils, animal fats and other waste feedstocks into renewable diesel and SAF. It could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80% when compared to emissions from fossil fuels, the company said.
To date, Honeywell said more than 50 sites around the world had licensed its SAF technologies with a total production capacity of more than 500,000 barrels/day (bpd).
St1’s activities include oil refining and renewable energy solutions such as waste-based advanced biofuels and industrial wind power.
