Honeywell partners up to look at aircraft biofuels

Morris Township, N.J.-based Honeywell International (NYSE: HON) is teaming up with three other companies in the aircraft industry to study the use of biofuels for commercial aircraft.

Honeywell said its UOP and Honeywell Aerospace units would work with France's Airbus, New York's JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), and Connecticut-based International Aero Engines.

The group will focus on developing and testing renewable energy technology to convert biofeedstocks to commercial aviation fuels.

"Biofuels hold tremendous potential to meet growing fuel demand while reducing lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions," said Jennifer Holmgren, director of the renewable energy and chemicals business for UOP.

"This partnership brings together a range of aviation and process technology expertise to study and verify the best path toward sustainable use of biofuels in aviation."

Honeywell said the companies plan to look at second generation feedstocks such as algae which do not compete with food or water resources.

In March, Houston-based Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) said it would conduct a biofuels demonstration flight in the first half of 2009 (see Continental Airlines to test biofuels).

Continental is partnering up with Chicago airplane manufacturer Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Cincinnati-based engine maker GE Aviation.

Earlier in the year, the U.K.'s Virgin Atlantic completed the world's first biofuel-powered test flight of a commercial aircraft (see Virgin takes off with commercial biofuel test flight).

Virgin also worked with Boeing and GE Aviation.

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