Honeywell gets biofuel go ahead

Honeywell subsidiary UOP has begun construction on a project for the development of biofuel.

Work has started on the biofuels demonstration project in Hawaii which will aim to convert forest waste, algae and other cellulosic biomass into a usable, refined fuel.

The Honeywell UOP Integrated Biorefinery has been given the backing of a $25 million (£15.4 million) US Department of Energy award and will process biomass to transform it into renewable gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

It will also support the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, a goal of which is achieve 70 per cent of clean energy use by 2030.

"Biomass is abundantly available today, and it is an important opportunity to consider as we seek alternatives that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and improve our environmental footprint," said Jim Rekoske, vice president and general manager of renewable energy and chemicals for UOP.

The development of a biofuel plant near Hull is back on track and production is set to begin in the new year.