Universal Fuel Technologies

Based in Los Altos, California, Universal Fuel Technologies (Unifuel) is a chemical technology licensing company founded in 2022 to address the high costs and feedstock limitations in the sustainable fuels market. The company is led by CEO Alexei Beltyukov, a serial entrepreneur, who is joined by a team that includes oil refining veteran Stephen Sims and engineering PhD Denys Pchelintsev. Unifuel's core offering is its proprietary 'Flexiforming' technology, a chemical process developed over a decade of research that converts a wide array of renewable feedstocks into high-value sustainable fuels.

The company's business model revolves around licensing its Flexiforming technology to fuel and energy industry operators, such as refineries and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producers. This technology is engineered to be a drop-in solution, enabling clients to utilize their existing hydrotreater or reformer units, thereby reducing capital expenditures for the transition to renewable fuel production. The process is distinguished by its feedstock flexibility, capable of converting alcohols, ethers, renewable naphtha, and light olefins into products like SAF, renewable gasoline, and renewable chemicals (BTX). A key application is upgrading low-value byproducts from other SAF production methods, such as the HEFA process, which can generate up to 20% naphtha and LPG. By converting these byproducts into valuable SAF, Unifuel offers producers improved monetization and resource maximization.

The Flexiforming process reportedly cuts SAF production costs by as much as 50% and reduces associated carbon emissions by up to 75%. For ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) pathways, the technology claims to operate at about half the cost of current processes while using significantly less energy and hydrogen. Unifuel's SAF is notable for its aromatic properties, which are crucial for compatibility with modern aircraft and could enable a 100% synthetic, drop-in replacement for conventional jet fuel, pending ASTM certification. The company has completed a successful five-month pilot project, producing nearly 100 liters of SAF samples that are now undergoing analysis for this certification. To advance this technology, Unifuel has secured $3.96M in funding, including a $3M seed round led by TO VC, with participation from Alchemist Accelerator, Claire Technologies, and World Star Aviation, to establish a lab in Texas for further sample production and to pursue ASTM certification.

Keywords: sustainable aviation fuel, SAF production, renewable fuels, Flexiforming technology, chemical technology licensing, ethanol-to-jet, renewable gasoline, renewable chemicals, BTX, drop-in fuel, feedstock flexibility, HEFA byproduct upgrading, energy transition, decarbonization, cleantech, hydroprocessing, renewable naphtha, alcohol-to-jet, low-cost SAF, synthetic aromatic kerosene, Alexei Beltyukov