Honeywell UOP Highlights Breakthrough SAF Technologies in Its Recent Interview with ChemAnalyst

ChemAnalyst Talks with Mr. Rajesh Gattupalli, President of Honeywell UOP

Honeywell UOP, a global leader in energy and process technology, is driving the next phase of the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) revolution through innovation, scalability, and collaboration. With over a century of refining expertise and more than 5,900 patents, the company is advancing cutting-edge solutions such as the FT Unicracking™ process and Experion® PKS control systems to make SAF production more efficient, cost-competitive, and feedstock-flexible. ChemAnalyst spoke with Dr. Rajesh Gattupalli, President of Honeywell UOP, discussed his leadership vision, Honeywell’s role in accelerating the global energy transition, and how integrated technology partnerships with organizations like Johnson Matthey and USA BioEnergy are helping the aviation industry chart a faster path toward net-zero emissions.

Complete Interview with Rajesh Gattupalli

To start, could you introduce yourself and outline Honeywell UOP’s role in advancing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) within the global energy transition?

Rajesh Gattupalli: As president of Honeywell UOP, I oversee a team that develops solutions aimed at improving energy, resource and cost efficiency in the refining and petrochemical sectors. The business also works on technologies designed to reduce emissions and support the development and production of new fuels such as SAF at scale.  With over a century of experience, 5,900 patents, and more than 70 licensed processes in 6,000 facilities, we deliver expert energy solutions worldwide.

Honeywell is developing innovative technology that addresses some of the biggest challenges in the SAF industry – production costs, efficiency and feedstock availability. By enabling efficient production and pioneering technologies that expand feedstock options, our technology will play a significant role in advancing SAF production.

Honeywell’s FT Unicracking™ process is being positioned as a breakthrough for SAF. What sets it apart from conventional hydroprocessing technologies in terms of yields, efficiency and costs?

Rajesh Gattupalli: Honeywell’s (FT) Unicracking™ process technology provides a 3–5% increase in SAF production, up to a 20% cost reduction and reduced waste streams as compared to other similar hydroprocessing technologies. What makes it stand out is its ability to turn Fischer Tropsch liquids and waxes derived from waste, biogas, or CO2 combined with green hydrogen into high-quality SAF that meets strict aviation standards.

By boosting yields, lowering costs and cutting waste streams, FT Unicracking offers producers a reliable and commercially viable way to scale SAF, enabling production from low cost, domestic feedstocks while achieving significant emission reductions.

The technology has already been selected for several publicly announced projects that will create hundreds of millions of gallons of SAF per year by using this technology.

This process is designed to handle a wide variety of feedstocks, including waste and forestry residues. How does Honeywell ensure consistent quality and efficiency across such diverse inputs?

Rajesh Gattupalli: One of the strengths of the Fischer Tropsch value chain, including our FT Unicracking process technology, is its ability to handle a wide variety of feedstocks, from municipal solid waste and forestry residues to CO2 combined with green hydrogen. FT-Unicracking can, for example, take Fischer Tropsch liquids and waxes from processed biomass—including leftovers from crops, wood waste, or even food scraps—and convert them into SAF that complies with the strict standards of the aviation industry, while also delivering a lower environmental impact.

We ensure consistent quality and efficiency across such diverse inputs by combining proven process technology with advanced catalysts, automation and control systems. The integration with Honeywell’s Experion® PKS control system helps optimize performance, improve reliability and ensure the final product consistently meets aviation fuel standards, no matter the variation in feedstock.

Reliability and scalability are critical for SAF producers. How does FT Unicracking™ support continuous operations and enable both greenfield projects and retrofits to scale quickly?

Rajesh Gattupalli: Reliability and scalability are vital for SAF producers, and this is where Honeywell brings unmatched expertise. We offer modular renewable fuels technology that can be built off-site and quickly installed at existing refineries or greenfield sites, lowering risk and accelerating start up compared to traditional methods. This approach can reduce the time between feasibility study to facility startup by more than 15% and reduce capital costs by up to 10%.

Altogether, Honeywell’s licensed SAF capacity projects more than 500,000 barrels per day upon full operation. That level of commercial deployment gives producers confidence that our solutions can support both greenfield projects and retrofits at speed.

Honeywell highlights the strong commercial appeal of its SAF solutions. How does this technology encourage faster adoption within the aviation sector?

Rajesh Gattupalli: The strong commercial appeal of Honeywell’s SAF solutions comes from the fact that they are proven, scalable and designed to lower risk for producers and airlines alike. By expanding the range of viable feedstocks, reducing production costs and shortening project timelines, our technologies make it easier for SAF projects to reach investment decisions and move into operation.

This combination gives producers confidence to build and airlines confidence to commit to long-term offtake agreements. Agreements like the USA BioEnergy project in Texas, supported by a 20-year offtake agreement with Southwest Airlines, show how our technology is already helping the aviation sector move quickly toward wider adoption of SAF.

Experion PKS will be deployed alongside FT Unicracking™ at the Bon Wier biorefinery. How does its advanced control system enhance plant efficiency, safety and resilience compared with conventional approaches?

Rajesh Gattupalli: Honeywell distinguishes itself by integrating process technology with automation for end-to-end solutions. Using Honeywell’s Experion Solution Suites with Honeywell UOP licensed technology units, USA BioEnergy can manage investment risks, improve scheduling flexibility, and prepare operators for startup.

Experion PKS optimizes plant performance through real-time automation, predictive maintenance, and advanced safety systems, aiming to reduce downtime and costs while increasing efficiency. Built-in redundancy, cybersecurity, and analytics further ensure stable operations. At the Bon Wier biorefinery, Experion PKS supports reliable scaling of operations and risk management.

The Bon Wier project brings together Honeywell, Johnson Matthey and USA BioEnergy. How does this collaboration create a model for integrated SAF production and what lessons can be applied globally?

Rajesh Gattupalli: USA BioEnergy’s biorefinery demonstrates how advanced technology can rapidly scale SAF production. Together with Johnson Matthey’s technology, we offer an integrated solution that combines Fischer-Tropsch technology, Honeywell’s FT Unicracking process, and the Experion PKS control system. This approach streamlines project timelines, reduces capital costs and ensures reliability from start to finish.

The key takeaway is that collaboration between technology providers, feedstock suppliers, and producers accelerates SAF projects. With global demand for biofuels set to rise, this integrated model offers a blueprint for expanding sustainable aviation fuel production worldwide.

Feedstock availability and costs are often seen as bottlenecks for SAF growth. How is Honeywell addressing these challenges through technology innovation and partnerships?

Rajesh Gattupalli: Honeywell’s technologies are designed to help producers overcome cost and feedstock availability challenges. We have pioneered technologies that expand the range of viable feedstocks, including Ecofining™ to process natural oils, greases and waste oils; our Ethanol-to-Jet process to convert ethanol from corn, sugarcane and cellulosic materials; eFining™ to turn captured CO2 and green hydrogen into methanol for SAF; and FT Unicracking to process Fischer Tropsch liquids and waxes derived from waste, biogas, and captured CO2 combined with green hydrogen. Each of these pathways helps reduce pressure on traditional feedstocks and lowers the cost barrier for producers.

We are also forming strategic alliances and collaborative efforts to bring these solutions to market faster. Our agreement with USA BioEnergy is converting one million tons of forest thinnings into 65 million gallons of SAF annually, while our global technology alliance with Johnson Matthey, GIDARA Energy and SAMSUNG E&A is helping producers leverage waste and biomass feedstocks at scale. These collaborations show how combining technology innovation with industry collaboration can directly address the feedstock and cost challenges facing SAF growth.

Beyond SAF, what role does Honeywell see for other alternative fuels—such as renewable diesel, e-fuels and hydrogen—in aviation and broader transportation decarbonization?

Rajesh Gattupalli: We take an “all-in” approach to energy transformation. Meeting the needs of aviation and transportation will require multiple fuel pathways working together, not just a single solution. That’s why Honeywell is advancing renewable diesel, e-fuels, hydrogen and other alternatives alongside SAF.

The world will continue to need more energy, and the challenge is to expand supply while keeping costs competitive, ensuring security and reducing emissions. By optimizing today’s fuels while scaling the alternatives of tomorrow, we can broaden the mix of available energy sources. This approach gives airlines and industries greater choice, creates resilience and helps deliver the fuels needed to keep up with demand growth.

Looking ahead, what technological breakthroughs or system-level innovations is Honeywell prioritizing to ensure SAF becomes both sustainable and cost-competitive with conventional jet fuel worldwide?

Rajesh Gattupalli: Looking ahead, we are prioritizing both technological breakthroughs and system-level innovations that make SAF cost-competitive while ensuring it meets industry and emission-reduction standards. We continue to build on our hydrocracking expertise, which we have pioneered for more than 70 years, while advancing new pathways like eFining™, which uses abundant feedstocks such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce SAF.

At the system level, we are investing in modular technologies that shorten project timelines and reduce capital costs, as well as digital solutions like Experion PKS that improve efficiency, reliability and safety across facilities. We are also expanding the range of viable feedstocks through technologies such as Ethanol-to-Jet and FT Unicracking, so producers have more flexibility to source what is most available and cost-effective in their region. And through collaborations with complementary technology and service providers like Johnson Matthey, GIDARA Energy and SAMSUNG E&A, we are demonstrating how integrated, end-to-end solutions can scale globally.

By combining these technological pathways with system-level advances, we are working to make SAF both sustainable and cost-competitive with conventional jet fuel worldwide.

ChemAnalyst Insights on JET Kerosene Market

Jet kerosene, the conventional aviation fuel refined from petroleum, is increasingly being complemented by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)—a bio-based, “drop-in” alternative that can be seamlessly blended with traditional kerosene for use in existing aircraft and infrastructure. While both fuels share compatibility, SAF’s distinct advantage lies in its lower carbon footprint, achieved by recycling atmospheric CO2 through renewable feedstocks such as waste oils, agricultural residues, and municipal waste.

In North America, jet kerosene spot prices remained relatively subdued during the second quarter of 2025, reflecting weaker market momentum compared to the previous year. Despite firm crude oil values, ample refinery production, high inventories, and cautious airline procurement kept jet fuel rates under pressure. June recorded a mild month-on-month uptick, supported by seasonal travel demand and speculative buying, though underlying fundamentals stayed soft.

Airline fuel consumption trailed prior-year levels throughout the quarter—usage dipped in April even as passenger volumes rose—while average fuel costs per gallon declined from March. Supply conditions remained favorable, with Gulf Coast refiners operating steadily and imports from Nigeria’s Dangote refinery and Russia helping to sustain market balance.

Meanwhile, industry focus is steadily pivoting toward SAF. Although current availability remains limited, evolving policy mandates and corporate ESG commitments are beginning to reshape procurement strategies—placing long-term structural pressure on conventional jet fuel demand.