TechnipFMC announced that LanzaTech had selected its proprietary Hummingbird ethanol-to-ethylene technology for a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) biorefinery. LanzaTech will combine its Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology with TechnipFMC’s Hummingbird ethanol-to-ethylene technology to convert ethanol into SAF.
Both technologies will be applied at LanzaTech’s Freedom Pines facility in Soperton, Georgia, USA that is expected to start production by 2022. The US Department of Energy funded the facility which is designed to produce up to 10 million gallons/year of SAF and renewable diesel.
According to TechnipFMC, the contract will mark the first commercial deployment of the Hummingbird ethanol-to-ethylene technology. The technology is based on a simple, low-cost ethanol dehydration process to convert it into ethylene. The technology involves a proprietary catalyst which results in a higher pressure, lower temperature, and more selective process compared to conventional ethanol dehydration processes.
