Honeywell, the US industrial group, has launched a new Biocrude Upgrading process that converts agricultural and forestry waste into renewable fuels, which can serve as direct replacements for traditional heavy fuel oil in the maritime sector.
The new technology allows biomass, including agricultural residues and forestry by-products, to be converted into biocrude that can be refined into marine fuel, gasoline, diesel or sustainable aviation fuel. The renewable marine fuel offers comparable energy density to conventional heavy fuel oil, meaning ships could undertake long-haul voyages without modifications to existing engines.
Ken West, President and CEO of Honeywell Energy and Sustainability Solutions, said: ‘The maritime industry has a real need for renewable fuels that are immediately available and cost effective. Our Biocrude Upgrading processing technology can be delivered in modular form, offering savings from the point of installation through to refining and use’.
He added that Honeywell’s modular system could be deployed close to feedstock sources, reducing transportation costs and simplifying construction. The technology can also be installed in prefabricated form, which shortens project timelines and mitigates risk.
Honeywell claims that the system could be particularly valuable for countries with limited access to fossil fuels or large-scale renewable energy infrastructure. By producing biocrude near biomass collection sites, operators could turn local agricultural waste into commercially viable fuel.
However, cost and feedstock constraints continue to pose challenges. According to the Rocky Mountain Institute, pure biofuel currently costs between $1,100 and $1,300 per tonne, which is approximately twice the price of conventional fuel oil. Rising demand could further inflate prices, while the availability of sustainable biomass remains finite.
Experts also caution that poor management of biomass resources could lead to deforestation and biodiversity loss. ‘We’re going to require biomass, and we’re going to require transition technologies like liquefied natural gas,’ West said. ‘We know the world needs more energy tomorrow than it needs today. And that’s going to take a number of different technologies to get there.’
