Honeywell's Envergent Technologies Selected by Malaysian Company for Renewable Energy Project
Envergent Technologies Designing Plant to Convert Palm Biomass to Renewable Fuels
DES PLAINES, Ill. -- Envergent Technologies LLC, a Honeywell (NYSE: HON) company, announced today that it has been selected by Premium Renewable Energy (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. to perform the engineering design for a project that will use Envergent's RTP® Rapid Thermal Processing technology to convert palm biomass to renewable heat and electricity.
The initial Premium RTP facility, to be initiated in late 2011 and completed in early 2013, will be Malaysia's first plant to use RTP for the production of a clean-burning liquid biofuel derived from biomass. The RTP liquid fuels will be used to generate renewable electricity and heat.
Premium expects that the first facility will be followed by additional RTP units to be built by 2020.
"This project is a milestone using palm biomass, particularly the empty fruit bunches, to generate renewable heat and power and demonstrates how Envergent's technology can be used in different regions with a variety of feedstocks," said Dave Cepla, managing director for Honeywell's Envergent Technologies joint venture. "We are proud to support Premium Renewable Energy in creating RTP plants that will not only reduce the carbon footprint in Malaysia, but will also help grow the economy."
The project is part of the Malaysian government's Economic Transformation Program for the palm oil sector in order to create a high-income economy by 2020 while growing in a sustainable manner. The project is projected to create 1,000 new jobs and generate $1 billion in revenue annually by 2020.
Envergent will perform a site assessment and identify strategies for integration for the facility into the existing palm oil industry in Malaysia. It will also provide equipment scoping, engineering design, a constructability analysis and a plant construction schedule for the RTP unit in support of Premium's plan.
Envergent's RTP technology works by rapidly heating biomass at ambient pressure to generate high yields of a liquid biofuel, which can be used to power electric generators or burned in industrial burners and furnaces for heat. Using this biofuel will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
Envergent Technologies is a joint venture of Honeywell's UOP and Ensyn Corp. It combines nearly 100 years of refining and process technology development from UOP and more than 25 years of biomass technology experience from Ensyn Corp. RTP is currently in use in seven commercial biomass processing plants in the U.S. and Canada.
In addition to the use of biomass for renewable power and heat, Envergent Technologies is also focused on development and commercialization of technology to upgrade the biofuel produced into green transportation fuels. A demonstration unit of this technology is currently in engineering design in Kapolei, Hawaii under a grant from the United States Department of Energy.
Honeywell's UOP is a leading supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents and services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. It has been active in the development and licensing of renewable fuel technologies since 2006. Learn more about the Envergent Technology joint venture at www.EnvergentTech.com
Premium Renewable Energy (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd is a Malaysian company formed in partnership with Ensyn Corp. Premium has the exclusive rights to commercialize the proven RTP® technology in Malaysia and other parts of the region for the production of renewable liquid fuels from biomass for heat, power and green transportation fuels.
Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 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. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.
CONTACT: Susan Gross, +1-847-391-2380, susan.gross@honeywell.com
