Honeywell last week announced a partnership with a US bioenergy company seeking to utilise industrial hemp and other non-food crops for the production of biochemicals.
Honeywell is a huge multi-national corporation with its fingers in a number of pies, including energy and sustainability solutions. SGP BioEnergy is a fully integrated bioenergy products development firm based in New York.
The pair announced last week they are teaming up to develop new technology to convert industrial hemp and other biomass materials into biochemicals that can be used to produce plastics and other common items. According to the World Economic Forum, about 400 million tons of plastic waste is produced globally a year, and around 98% of single-use plastic products are made from fossil fuels including natural gas and crude oil.
Under the arrangement, Honeywell will develop new feedstock tech and ongoing operational support and workforce training, while SGP BioEnergy will provide the infrastructure, workforce and second-generation feedstock via its “Ready. Grow” program. The program delivers low-carbon-intensity feedstocks with full traceability and sustainable certification using the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC).
“By using hemp and other non-edible feedstocks to produce these important chemicals, Honeywell and SGP BioEnergy are helping to reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels without impacting the food chain,” said Honeywell’s Bryan Glover.
While hemp can be used as a food crop, as the name suggests, industrial hemp can be used for other purposes. Industrial hemp has a myriad uses; including cordage, building materials, textiles, paper, biofuel and bioplastics. Furthermore, it can help restore soil integrity to damaged and depleted farm soils.
SGP’s “Ready. Grow” program seeks to activate idle farms and increase sustainability and economic predictability of existing farms. The cornerstone of SGP’s business model is industrial hemp, which it says is the best kept secret in the global energy sector. SGP states its proprietary cultivars and seeds yield plants with 38-52% oil content.
On the energy front, SGP is developing the $7.7 billion Golden City Biorefinery project in Panama, designed to produce 180,000 barrels per day of advanced renewable fuels.
“We’re not just imagining a cleaner future — we’re making it happen for a growing roster of forward-thinking clients committed to sustainability,” says SGP.
