UOP and Italy's Eni S.p.A. Announce Plans for Facility to Produce Diesel Fuel from Vegetable Oil
UOP LLC, a Honeywell (NYSE: HON) company, and Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:
ENI) announced today that Eni will build a production facility using
Ecofining(TM) technology to produce diesel fuel from vegetable oils.
The facility, to be located in Livorno, Italy, will process 6,500
barrels per day of vegetable oils to supply European refineries with a
high-cetane "green" diesel fuel, to meet growing demand for
high-quality, clean fuels and biofuels throughout Europe.
It will be the first facility to use the Ecofining technology
developed by UOP and Eni. UOP has already completed the basic design
for the first unit, which is expected to come online in 2009. Eni, a
leading European oil company with operations in 70 countries and 2006
revenues of more than 86 billion euros, also plans to install several
additional Ecofining units at its other wholly-owned and affiliate
refineries throughout Europe.
"This project is part of Eni's overall commitment to
sustainability," said Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni. "This facility will both
provide significant value to Eni's refining operations by producing an
ultra-high-quality diesel and fulfilling the proposed European target
to grow the renewable energy supply to 12 percent by 2010."
UOP announced its efforts to develop commercially viable solutions
for renewable energy in refineries with the creation of its Renewable
Energy & Chemicals business unit in late 2006. The Ecofining process
for green diesel is its first renewable technology offering.
"UOP and Eni have worked closely to develop a process for green
diesel production that uses existing refinery and fuel distribution
infrastructure while at the same time producing a high-quality
renewable fuel," said Jennifer Holmgren, director of UOP's Renewable
Energy & Chemicals business unit. "This facility will further
demonstrate the effectiveness of the Ecofining technology."
The Ecofining process uses catalytic hydroprocessing technology to
convert vegetable oils to a green diesel fuel. The product, a direct
substitute for diesel fuel, features a high cetane value (the measure
of the combustion quality of diesel) of approximately 80. Compared to
diesel found at the pump today, which ranges from 40 to 60 cetane,
green diesel offers value as a blending stock for refiners seeking to
enhance existing diesel fuels and expand the diesel pool.
UOP LLC, headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA, is a leading
international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts,
adsorbents, process plants, and consulting services to the petroleum
refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. UOP is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc. and is part
of Honeywell's Specialty Materials strategic business group. For more
information, go to www.uop.com.
Honeywell International is a $33 billion diversified technology
and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace
products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and
industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials.
Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the
New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. It is one of the 30
stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is also a
component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. For additional
information, please visit www.honeywell.com.
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