Honeywell, Ensyn in biomass venture

Morris Township, N.J.-based Honeywell International (NYSE: HON) said today that its UOP unit signed a letter of intent with Wilmington, Del.'s Ensyn to offer technology and equipment for the biomass to bio-oil industry.

UOP, headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., and Ensyn expect to finalize terms for the joint venture in the fourth quarter of this year. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The venture will offer Ensyn's Rapid Thermal Processing technology, which converts second generation biomass, like forest and agricultural wastes, to bio-oil, also known as pyrolysis oil, for use in power and heating applications.

"We are confident that the combined resources of UOP and Ensyn will allow this venture to commercialize viable solutions for converting biomass to drop-in transportation fuels in the next three years," said Jennifer Holmgren, director of Renewable Energy and Chemicals at UOP.

The companies plan to develop next-generation technology to refine the bio-oil into transport fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

"We believe this alliance will generate multiple commercial breakthroughs in the biomass-to-energy world," said Robert Graham, chairman and CEO of Ensyn.

Last December, UOP announced an agreement to partner with the University of Southern California to develop and commercialize technology to transform carbon dioxide into clean-burning alternative fuels (seeUOP, USC to develop fuel from carbon dioxide).

The university's Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute developed fundamental chemistry to transform carbon dioxide to methanol or dimethyl ether, two potentially cleaner-burning alternatives to traditional transportation fuels.

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