ARGENT ENERGY: Drive to Decarbonise Transport Worldwide

Founded in the UK in 2001, with production starting in Motherwell, Scotland, four years later, Argent Energy has since become a truly European waste-based biodiesel producer with ambitions to decarbonise transport worldwide. Having established 55,000 and 85,000 ton capacities at its Motherwell and Stanlow sites respectively, in 2018 Argent Energy completed the acquisition of Biodiesel Amsterdam to mark the beginning of an international dominance, and its first site topping 100,000 tons in annual scope.

“At Argent Energy we specialise in the manufacturing and supply of low carbon bio-based products,” the company offers as detail on its fundamental operations. “We believe in using waste materials only, and continuously search for new waste and competitive and sustainable raw materials to be turned into higher value products.

“The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biodiesel are about 90% lower than conventional, or fossil, diesel,” Argent Energy furthers. “Emissions are calculated over the entire life cycle of biodiesel production, including waste collection, treatment of the product, transport in the supply chain, production of biodiesel and ultimately transport to the fuel stations.

“Our intention is to decarbonise transport worldwide, by recycling wastes to make a fuel which displaces traditional fossil options. We invest in people and their development as well as research and development to drive innovation in products, technologies and operational excellence.”

HORNHAVEN UPGRADE

The Amsterdam port region is one of the world’s largest logistics hubs, handling 100 million tonnes in cargo traffic annually to position it as one of Western Europe’s foremost seaports. A strategic and central location makes it easily accessible and ensures excellent connections to all major European markets, and by opting for sustainable growth it aims by 2030 to be one of Europe’s most sustainable ports, keeping environmental impact to a minimum: a large port with a small footprint.

“The Amsterdam port is a European seaport with ambition,” the organisation says. “We ensure that clients, landings and activities can grow more sustainably. We are making the shipping process smoother, safer and more transparent and developing a future-proof port complex. By being at the forefront of the transition we are taking steps towards a climate-neutral port in 2050.”

Argent Energy Netherlands BV and the Port of Amsterdam have just joined forces to invest €20 million in new dock facilities in the Hornhaven Amsterdam, which will contribute markedly to the decarbonisation efforts of both the Port of Amsterdam and the City of Amsterdam. Two loading and unloading quays will replace the existing coaster jetty at Argen’s biodiesel plant in the Hornhaven, and with construction slated to commence early in 2022 and complete in mid-2024, the new quays will be suitable for barges, coasters, and sea-going vessels up to nine meters draught and 147 meters in length.

“The new facilities make it possible for Argent Energy to make an important contribution to the Dutch and Amsterdam ambitions regarding the decarbonisation of transport and the scale-up of green hydrogen,” said Koen Overtoom, CEO of Port of Amsterdam of the plans which will, through land reclamation, create one hectare of new land for Argent Energy to construct a new 130,000 m³ tank storage facility for renewable products such as waste-based biodiesel and feedstocks, increasing its storage capacity to 230,000 m³.

“The collaboration with the Port of Amsterdam worked well and particularly their willingness to jointly look for ways to make this project possible,” added Erik Rietkerk, CEO of Argent Energy on the forging of one of the largest storage facilities for these critical renewable products in the continued effort to decarbonise transport. “Argent’s business and sustainability ambitions are fully aligned with the objectives of the Port of Amsterdam as well as with the City of Amsterdam.”

BIOFUEL PRODUCTION QUINTUPLED

Biodiesel finds its main application in fuelling road transport. “Argent’s waste-based biodiesel is a distilled product that can be directly blended with conventional diesel and used as a fuel, typically in trucks, buses, vans and cars,” the company details. “In this way it contributes proportionately to the lowering of CO2 emissions of the vehicles it powers.”

It is too, however, an effective and favourable carbon-saving alternative fuel for use in heating and power generation. Increasingly, eco-conscious businesses are turning to this renewable, clean-burning option to power boilers for offices, schools and factories. “Our distilled biodiesel can also be used as a marine fuel for inland barges and seagoing vessels,” Argent Energy explains.

“The heavier fraction of our distillation process can also be used as marine fuel after further refining.” By-products from the production of biodiesel are then also upgraded and converted into value-added end products such as biofuel oil, fertiliser and glycerine, with waste streams from the biodiesel production kept to an absolute minimum.

The Argent Energy story started at its nascent plant in the large town of Motherwell, south-east of Scotland’s most populous city Glasgow, from where it exclusively uses waste animal fat denoted as category 1 and 2, which cannot be used for food or animal feed, as the main feedstock in supplying more than 50,000 tons of biodiesel to Scotland and the north of England. A state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Stanlow followed more than a decade later to double its capacity upon opening, offering 48,000m³ of total storage area.

Having kickstarted the Argent Energy international foray just two years on, in 2018, Argent Energy is now planning to increase production levels nearly five-fold at its Amsterdam factory to join the new dock and storage facilities. The supply and removal of products by water will increase significantly, contributing to the Port of Amsterdam’s objective to grow in the transhipment of non-fossil cargo.

With this dramatic expansion production capacity in the Port of Amsterdam will rocket to in excess of half a million tons per year, arguably the company’s clearest statement of its intent to make a significant contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in road and maritime transport, and in particular a sector notoriously difficult to decarbonise: heavy-duty vehicles. 

“This significant expansion of the production of alternative fuels contributes to our strategic objectives and those of Europe,” said Roon van Maanen, Head of Energy & Circular Industry at Port of Amsterdam. “We thank Argent for the trust and look forward to further developments.”

Argent Energy’s augmentation in Amsterdam is altogether in line with the country’s plans for clean mobility and the promotion of biofuels that avoid impacting food supplies. Its expansion includes the development of a new and innovative production process which will bring improved process efficiency, and even greater reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Clean mobility is a vitally important link to achieving climate targets,” summarises Erik Rietkerk. “The Netherlands has a strong record in supporting the use of the most sustainable biodiesel and with the expansion of its production capacity, Argent Energy can make a significant contribution to the Dutch, Amsterdam and European ambitions for the decarbonisation of transport.”