Universal Fuel Technologies’s SAF Accepted into ASTM Clearinghouse

Universal Fuel Technologies recently cleared a major hurdle toward commercial adoption with its Ethanol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel being accepted into the ASTM D4054 Clearinghouse. The ‘Unifuel’ still has a long road ahead, positioned to undergo years of technical evaluations before receiving qualification.

"The acceptance into the D4054 Clearinghouse is an important validation of our Flexiforming technology and significantly derisks our road to approval for commercial use," said Alexei Beltyukov, CEO of Universal Fuel Technologies. "This advancement indicates that our SAF can meet the toughest performance standards without sacrificing scalability or quality, and has technical credibility in the eyes of industry experts."

The Clearinghouse process, managed by Washington State University, is the aviation industry’s way of ensuring new fuels don’t destroy engines, corrode systems, or negatively impact supply chains. A candidate fuel must demonstrate credible chemistry, production at a meaningful scale, and quality that meets baseline standards.

In Universal’s case, independent testing during a five-month pilot program produced nearly 100 liters of fuel samples across four SAF pathways. Those samples were evaluated by WSU’s Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Lab.

With Clearinghouse acceptance secured, the company now advances to Tier 1 and Tier 2 testing. This requires significantly larger volumes and more detailed analysis of properties like thermal stability and material compatibility. Universal estimates it could see initial approval by late 2026, though only as a blend component with fossil jet. The real goal, producing a 100 percent drop-in synthetic jet fuel, remains further out.

Universal’s pitch rests on its Flexiforming process. The company claims that the method converts ethanol, methanol, renewable naphthas, and LPG into high-quality synthetic jet fuel while consuming 75 percent less energy and a third less hydrogen than competing processes. The result, they say, is up to 50 percent lower production cost.

"The acceptance into the D4054 Clearinghouse confirms that Flexiforming can produce high-quality synthetic aviation turbine fuel with a clear route to ASTM qualification," added Universal Fuel Technologies Co-Founder Denis Pchelintsev. "We're positioned to support the aviation industry's urgent need for cost-effective synthetic aviation turbine fuel that doesn't compromise on performance or safety."

FMI: https://unifuel.tech