Unifuel shows pathway to 100% SAF
In California, as airlines work to reduce emissions while maintaining operational efficiency with existing aircraft and infrastructure, a critical barrier to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption has been overcome. Independent testing by Washington State University has validated that Universal Fuel Technologies’ (Unifuel) Flexiforming technology successfully converts HEFA-derived naphtha into synthetic aromatic kerosene that, when blended with paraffinic SAF, creates a fully synthetic jet fuel meeting all essential performance standards. HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) is the most widely used SAF production process today, but produces only paraffinic fuel components.
The testing evaluated a blend of 16% Flexiforming-produced aromatic SAF and 84% HEFA-derived paraffinic SAF, demonstrating that the combined fuel performs comparably to conventional jet fuel across critical parameters. This is the first demonstration that HEFA naphtha, traditionally a low-value byproduct accounting for up to 20% of HEFA output, can be upgraded into the aromatic components essential for jet fuel performance.
Category: Fuels
