Old tech, new tricks: Fossil fuel innovation transforming SAF
Evoto
Sometimes the best innovations come from looking at an old problem through a new lens – or in Unifuel’s case, through a different fuel tank altogether. Ten years ago, when Alexei Beltyukov and his two co-founders were perfecting their Flexiforming technology for the fossil fuel industry, they probably didn’t imagine their process would be used to produce SAF.
Originally designed to create hi-octane gasoline from various feedstocks, Beltyukov thinks Unifuel’s technology may be the Swiss Army knife needed for the renewable fuel challenge. At the heart of Unifuel’s innovation is their Flexiforming technology – a remarkably adaptable process that can use a variety of feedstocks.
Fresh from securing $3m in funding from TO Ventures, Beltyukov sat down with SAF Investor for a wide-ranging conversation that covered everything from the intricacies of carbon intensity to the challenges of wooing investors.
SAFI: Your team has been working on this technology for some time. Can you tell us about the journey that led to this pivot into SAF?
Beltyukov: The group of founders that I’m part of, the three people, including myself, started with this very same technology more than 10 years ago, and we initially applied it to the fossil fuel industry.
Our customers wanted to make hi-octane gasoline from a variety of different feedstocks. And then a couple of years ago, we decided that it was time to switch to renewables and made a complete pivot and are now focusing on using that technology for renewable fuels.
SAFI: The funding journey is rarely straightforward for deep tech startups. How was your experience?
Beltyukov: There is this rule of thumb that you have to get through 100 no’s before you get your first yes. It’s a process of mutual education because with technology startups like ours, the investors also have to understand what is it that we’re talking about. And many didn’t. Not because they’re not intelligent enough, but because they found maybe lower hanging fruit or some other reason.
We were impressed with how TO worked … More than once before we started working with TO, we encountered people who claim to be experts in the field but were not really up to snuff. Not so with TO. These guys had experts so we didn’t have to even explain anything.
SAFI: Let’s talk about your Flexiforming technology. What makes it different from existing SAF production methods?
Beltyukov: It’s a much simpler process requiring much lower capital and much lower operating cost. If you have feed flexibility, like with our technology, which is aptly called Flexiforming, if one feedstock goes through the roof, you go from the other feedstock or you supplement the expensive one with a cheaper one … and all of that you can do without changing the equipment or the catalyst.
We consume much less energy and most of the energy we do consume, we actually produce ourselves.
SAFI: What types of feedstocks can your Flexiforming technology process?
Beltyukov: We can process alcohols like ethanol and methanol, HEFA byproducts including naphtha and light-ends, and various other organic compounds. The beauty of our system is that we can switch between these feedstocks without changing the core equipment or catalyst system.
SAFI: Can you elaborate on your capabilities with HEFA byproducts?
Beltyukov: HEFA producers face a consistent challenge with their light-end products and naphtha streams. Our technology can take these byproducts, which are currently often sold at a discount, and upgrade them into valuable SAF components. It’s essentially creating additional value from materials that would otherwise drag down the process economics.
SAFI: Where are you in the ASTM certification process, and what are your next steps?
Beltyukov: We passed tier zero, which means the leadership, who are responsible for blessing these things, they think that we have a good shot at passing the entire process.
The company plans to submit larger samples for Tier 1 testing in November, marking a crucial next step in the certification journey.
SAFI: Looking ahead, what’s your strategy for market entry?
The company is carefully evaluating multiple pathways, from ethanol-to-jet to processing HEFA byproducts.
Beltyukov: We don’t want to take a position on that. We’re very careful listening to what the prospective customers are telling us.
With growing interest from e-methanol producers, HEFA facilities dealing with byproduct challenges, and ethanol plants facing declining gasoline demand, Unifuel’s flexible technology positions them uniquely in the market. This flexibility isn’t just convenient; it’s economically crucial in a market where feedstock prices can fluctuate wildly.
The funding will support their continued development and certification efforts, potentially marking a significant shift in how SAF is produced.
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