With the demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projected to increase tenfold by 2030, Universal Fuel Technologies (Unifuel) has successfully secured $3 million in funding for its innovative Flexiforming technology, which reduces SAF production costs by up to 50% and related carbon emissions by up to 75%. This seed round was led by TO VC and included participation from Alchemist Accelerator, Claire Technologies, and World Star Aviation. The funds will be used to advance the company’s proprietary Flexiforming process and establish a lab in Texas for producing SAF samples.

Flexiforming is a series of chemical reactions that convert various renewable materials, including byproducts from other SAF production processes, into high-quality SAF. This SAF is chemically comparable to conventional jet fuel, enabling the creation of a 100% synthetic replacement compatible with the current aircraft fleet. According to Joshua Phitoussi, managing partner at TO VC, “Unifuel has developed a more efficient SAF production method that significantly reduces costs and maximizes limited resources. The flexibility of their feedstock allows them to collaborate with SAF producers across multiple pathways, offering a scalable solution crucial to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”

Unifuel’s Flexiforming process is versatile, capable of converting ethanol, methanol, renewable naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and other materials into high-quality sustainable fuels or chemicals, including SAF. The technology enables an ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) pathway at approximately half the cost of current ETJ processes. Additionally, Flexiforming complements common SAF production methods by upgrading low-value byproducts, such as renewable naphtha and LPG, into high-value SAF. This enhances producers' ability to monetize these byproducts and increases the availability of SAF in the market. For instance, SAF produced through HEFA (hydrotreated esters and fatty acids) technology generates byproducts like naphtha and LPG, which have significantly lower market value. Flexiforming upgrades these byproducts, providing producers with higher returns and making more SAF available.

One of the key advantages of Flexiforming is its ability to create aromatic molecules essential for jet engine performance. Modern aircraft are designed to operate on traditional jet fuels containing these molecules, making them crucial for creating drop-in-ready SAF. While other production methods, such as HEFA and Fischer-Tropsch, produce basic fuel components, Flexiforming's aromatic SAF allows for a fully synthetic jet fuel that airlines could use without blending it with conventional jet fuel, pending approval from ASTM International.

“Sustainable aviation relies on developing cost-effective SAF that works within the existing aviation infrastructure,” said Alexei Beltyukov, CEO of Universal Fuel Technologies. With Flexiforming, SAF producers can create affordable, high-quality fuels with the necessary characteristics for aircraft performance and scalability. Following a decade of research and testing, Unifuel is now preparing for ASTM certification and expanding its customer base with its new Texas lab.