With our technology, we can transition from petroleum to synthetic hydrocarbon products made from carbon waste sources, greatly reducing GHG emissions.
Carbon content is driven by the feedstock used and the process. With our technology we can make them all. Our Drop-in compatible fuels and chemicals can be used as-is without modification to existing engines or machinery.
Our modular designs for making fully renewable fuels from biogas (BioGTL) or low-carbon fuels and chemicals from natural gas (FlareBuster) make sustainable profits.
Learn more about who we are and how our technology and our cost-effective approach to renewable energy is changing the future.
Emerging Fuels Technology (EFT) is changing the world’s approach to cost-effective renewable fuels. Our proprietary BioGTL (biogas to liquids) plant model uses renewable biogas to produce cellulosic drop-in-compatible transportation fuels such as diesel, jet, and naphtha—a cutting-edge process made possible by small plant size.
Biogas feedstock, compared to solid biomass feedstock, is much easier to convert into fuels and requires little front-end equipment. EFT is focused on the construction of small gas-to-liquid plants ranging from 50 to 500 barrels per day (BPD). These plants are much easier to install and clean up, require minimal human capital and equipment, and are designed to maximize efficiency of time and repetitiveness and meet our triple bottom lines.
Most renewable energy plants are massive and use solid feedstocks to produce fuels. They require significant time and capital to construct and operate: tasks like material handling, gasification, clean-up, and compression often become complex and expensive. Moreover, these plants are often difficult to replicate, as they are designed for a specific feedstock and location and require substantial amounts of custom engineering and on-site construction.
The size of the BioGTL plant is much smaller than that of other renewable energy plants, making it possible to fit available biogas resources to produce fuels efficiently and autonomously. It is designed for remote, unmanned operation at landfills, agricultural bio-digesters, and wastewater treatment facilities.
Our low-cost modular design delivers the lowest capital expenditure per unit out of any known advanced (cellulosic) biofuel pathway.
Methane is 25 to 28 times more potent than CO₂ as a GHG. Methane that is vented or flared is one of the world’s largest sources of GHG emissions. Our proprietary FlareBuster™ transforms this gas into useful liquid transportation fuels. The design, supported by several patents, significantly reduces the capital expenditure per barrel of daily capacity. It can also be used to extinguish flares and produce products that are not combusted (such as lube base oils, solvents, and waxes), and therefore do not produce GHG emissions.
FlareBuster is fully autonomous: it generates its own power, does not require water, and is monitored by satellite. Moreover, it is built entirely from truckable modules that can be disassembled and transported with relative ease. We plan to build commercial units, which we believe will lead to wide industry acceptance.
Established in 2007, Emerging Fuels Technology (EFT) is a technology company focused on the development and implementation of methods for producing synthetic/renewable-fuels and chemicals from a variety of carbonaceous feedstocks such as natural gas, biogas, biomass, municipal solid waste (MSW), carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industrial processes and from Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology and bio-derived oils. The company is a recognized authority on Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis.
Additionally, we have developed considerable expertise in upgrading technologies for making fuels and chemicals. We have also applied our upgrading technology to a wide range of non-FT feedstocks such as algae oils, plant oils and plastics.
EFT licenses its technology to clients developing projects for production of synthetic/renewable fuels and chemicals from a variety of feedstocks. Our offerings include technology licensing FT synthesis and upgrading technology for client projects along with start-up support and training services. We also provide a range of related engineering and laboratory services which include, catalyst testing, analytical services, process development, process simulation, producing product samples, process scale-up, engineering and design, and technology evaluations.
EFT also intends to Build, Own and Operate a (BOO) projects based on our BioGTL and FlareBuster technology.
Kenneth Agee, Founder & President: has a background in crude oil refining and natural gas processing. In 1984, he formed Syntroleum Corporation a publicly traded company where he held the position of CEO and did extensive gas-to-liquids (GTL) development with several large oil companies between 1990 and 2007. In 2007, Mr. Agee formed EFT where he has worked to establish a growing contract research and technology licensing business while developing novel approaches to FT catalysis, reactor design, process integration and product upgrading that will significantly reduce the construction and operating cost of small, modular plants. Mr. Agee holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Oklahoma State University and is listed on 26 issued U.S. patents and 3 pending patents.
Mark Agee, VP of Business Development and Licensing: has spent his entire career growing technology companies, from start-up through IPO, having taken two companies public. Mr. Agee was one of the original investors in Syntroleum, founded by his brother Kenneth Agee in 1984. Ten years later, he joined the company as VP of Finance and later became its President/COO. During his tenure with Syntroleum, he negotiated several partnerships, joint R&D agreements and license agreements with 7 international oil companies. He led Syntroleum’s public offering in 2000. Mr. Agee’s involvement with EFT began in 2010 where he has focused primarily on business development, strategy and licensing. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Tulsa and is listed on 10 issued US patents all in the field of synthetic or renewable fuels.
Ed Holcomb, Chief Accounting Officer: Mr. Holcomb has eight years of public accounting and 31 years of corporate finance experience. He has held positions of VP of Finance, Chief Accounting Officer, and Controller prior to joining EFT and has over 10 years directing the SEC reporting at Docucorp International, EXE Technologies and Memorex Telex. Mr. Holcomb is a CPA and holds a BSBA degree majoring in Accounting from the University of Tulsa.
Ronnie Young, Lab Manager: Mr. Young joined Syntroleum Corporation as a supervisory chemist after graduate school and later transitioned to EFT after EFT acquired the laboratory assets. He has a background in oil and gas production and farming/ranching. While earning a M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Oklahoma, he gained applicable experience in the synthesis, handling, and characterization techniques for air and moisture sensitive materials. As the lab manager for EFT, he continues to direct lab operations which have expanded beyond small scale to various pilot plant reactor designs and capabilities. Additionally, he has worked to make improvements in FT catalyst formulation, preparation, and characterization methods in support of two commercial catalyst manufacturers. That effort led to standardized production methods and the production of over 150 MT of the EFT proprietary TL-8 catalyst for our licensees.
James W. Engman, Technical Services Manager: Mr. Engman has spent the last 20+ years working in the laboratory supporting the development of Fischer-Tropsch catalyst and related process technologies. Mr. Engman has managed the catalyst development laboratory for both Syntroleum and EFT. During his time as Laboratory Manager, Mr. Engman provided technical support for both our FT reactor and catalyst development activities and our extensive hydro-processing development activities. This included developing catalyst and process parameters for production of jet, diesel, solvents and base oils. Prior to his work in the Fischer-Tropsch world, Mr. Engman was the Laboratory Director for National Analytical Laboratories an environmental testing service laboratory. Mr. Engman holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota and an M.S. in Chemistry from St. Mary’s University of Texas.