Argent Energy is a European biodiesel company that turns waste fats and oils into renewable fuel, contributing to significant reductions in C02 emissions. It has a vision to decarbonise transport worldwide by using only certified waste materials in the production of fuels and constantly searches for new forms of waste to be transformed into higher value products. CEO Dr Louise Calviou discussed the company’s recent developments and goals to promote a more circular economy, in conversation with Hannah Barnett and Antonia Cole.
The key objective of the company is to take degraded waste fats and oils that cannot be used for anything else and turn them into a useful product: biodiesel. Replacing fossil fuels with wastebased biodiesel leads to an approximately 90% reduction in carbon emissions.
Argent Energy was founded in 2001, with the company producing 45,000 tonnes of biodiesel a year, which grew to 140,000 tonnes in 2016. It has now grown to produce over 195,000 tonnes per year across sites in the UK and Netherlands, employing around 350 workers.
“The company was bought by John Swire and Sons (Green Investments) Ltd in 2013 as it was looking for projects that could benefit its sustainability agenda,” said CEO Louise Calviou. “Since then, we’ve continued to expand and invest in our business, making us the leading European specialist in production of waste-based biodiesel.”
Impacting the industry
Argent Energy’s new glycerine refinery will begin production later this year in the Port of Amsterdam and is set to produce 50,000 tonnes of refined glycerine annually. The company will transform a by-product of the biodiesel process to create a technicalgrade product for the chemical industry, aligning with its mission to explore innovative ways to transform waste into high- value products.
“In our production of biodiesel, we currently produce the co-product of a low-grade glycerine, which is mainly used for anaerobic digestion” explained Dr Calviou. “With the investment into our glycerine refinery, we will turn a waste product into a useful chemical.
“We’re set to triple our biodiesel capacity at Amsterdam by 2026, with the potential to expand even further. We’re focusing our investments on our
Amsterdam site due to its proximity to the port and the access that allows to the marine sector. As a company, we are trying to decarbonise transport, which includes the marine industries, and this expansion allows us to contribute further to road and Heavy Goods Vehicle decarbonisation but also to offer sustainable alternatives to ship owners.”
Last year, Argent Energy successfully trialled the use of 100% FAME with FincoEnergies and VT Group, showing how biodiesel can be used to progress marine decarbonisation. The MTS Vlissingen was fuelled with 100% FAME, a sustainable option that does not require engine modification, making it cost effective and environmentally sustainable.
“We manufacture 100 per cent FAME that easily meets marine grade specifications,” said Dr Calviou. “Our biodiesel supplied to FincoEnergies towards this
trial achieved a reduction of around 85 per cent in C0 2 emissions.”
Argent Energy’s waste-based biodiesel provides a highly cost-effective solution to a range of industries whose customers seek to reduce their carbon footprint.
This versatile fuel is supplied directly as an effective drop-in replacement for fossil fuel diesel to road transport operators, including bus, coach and HGV fleets. The company has been supplying this industry with High Blend Biodiesel Fuel solutions since 2008. Argent’s biodiesel is also used to power furnaces in energy intensive industries, showcasing its
adaptability across various applications as a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels.
Argent Energy aims to decarbonise a variety of industries by promoting the use of biodiesel over fossil fuels. It is looking to find applications where it can apply 100% biodiesel and progress the industry into a more circular economy.
Functional reliability is crucial for our customers which is why we use smart blending” explained Dr Calviou. “We adjust the blend of our biodiesel to take account of conditions so there aren’t any
operational issues, and we plan to keep offering higher grade biofuel to power industries in the future.”
Effective waste conversion
Argent Energy exclusively uses waste products that have reached the end of their life cycle to produce biodiesel, making it a sustainable source of fuel in comparison to fossil fuels. The end product limits carbon emissions to the atmosphere and provides a solution that decarbonises transport industries.
The company is also managing wastewater in its operations. Argent Energy’s Stanlow site has an Eco Clarity Waste Conversion Hub, which filters out beneficial oil residues to be reused instead of discarded.
Fats, oils and greases are separated from wastewater to become a sustainable raw material that can be used in the production of second-generation biodiesel. The cleaned water is then reused or returned to the waste stream, enhancing Argent Energy’s operations as sustainable and
reducing harmful waste in water systems. Argent Energy also has two operational Wastewater Membrane BioReactors, a system that ensures effective cleaning and recycling of the water used in its biodiesel production, enabling the reuse and safe return of the water to the environment.
“We’re looking at everything we do and that includes limiting water waste,” said Dr Calviou. “Our aim is to take waste that could otherwise harm the environment and transform it into useful materials.
“As a company we are also looking at our energy sources to decarbonise those too. We have a steam turbine that we use to generate electricity from our biomass boiler so that we can be more sustainable and have less of an impact on the environment in our operations.”
Sustainable partners
“We find partners who share our vision and values so that we can work together to reduce the use of fossil fuels,” Dr Calviou continued. “With sustainability at the heart of Argent Energy’s operation, it is important for us to partner with likeminded people so that we can make sustainability goals a reality.
“As a company, we are looking for solutions. We want to find issues and create innovative solutions with our partners playing a significant role. We collaborate with our partners to find sustainable solutions that fit their needs and simultaneously promote a more circular economy.”
Argent Energy wants to challenge the way things are done and make a difference in the industry. It constantly invests in new R&D as well as encouraging
employees to generate and submit their own ideas for progression.
“We want to be a global player, not just a European player,” explained Dr Calviou. “We want to continue to expand our footprint and the range of products we make. Our objective is to take waste that has no other use and turn it into a useful product on a global scale. We’re not short of ideas on how to achieve this.”
It is important to Argent Energy for people to understand that biodiesel is part of the environmental solution and that utilising waste products in transport industries will lead to a more sustainable future.
“At Argent Energy, we are helping to shape the future,” said Dr Calviou, in conclusion. “I think it’s exciting. I have the opportunity to be part of something that is growing, contributing to decarbonisation and really making a difference.” n
