Helping to Decarbonise Transport Worldwide

When the European Commission released the Fit for 55 package of legislation in 2021, the writing was on the wall for big carbon emitters. Reducing greenhouse emissions by at least 55% by 2030 was seen as a strong but necessary ambition. All sectors will have to comply but instead of seeing hurdles and worry, most are seeing opportunity and investment potential.

At Argent Energy, a leading European producer of biofuels to compete with diesel, the legislation has opened fresh opportunities to utilise its proprietary technology to combat climate change.

A particular boom came in 2012 when Transport for London announced it would trial biofuels from Argent on London buses and then in 2015 when the company signed up a major Scottish bus network to utilise its biodiesel, produced from waste – no fossil fuels.

But now, Argent Energy is on the growth path and is rolling out significant projects to ensure its fuels, and biproducts, are used as far and wide as possible. In July 2022, Director of Corporate Affairs, Dickon Posnett told Energy Focus that the company was focussed on delivering biodiesel for road transport use. Today, expansion across various sectors is underway and clients are queuing up to make the most of what is now a proven product.

FRESH PARTNERSHIPS

In October 2022, Argent Energy inked a deal with Virgin Voyages – a leading cruise company. By utilising biodiesel, the vision was to accelerate the traditionally hard to decarbonise marine fuel sector. By using biodiesel, Virgin Voyages can decrease carbon emissions by up to 90% and can blend the biodiesel with traditional fuels as a drop-in replacement. Average cruise ships can consume between 150 and 250 tons of diesel every single day.

“Decarbonisation of the marine sector is an oceanic task and Virgin Voyages’ decision to use Argent Energy as a supplier of sustainable marine fuels demonstrates the importance of waste-based biodiesel as a key strategy in that task,” said Erik Rietkerk, CEO of Argent Energy.

“In order to significantly reduce our carbon footprint further, we must transition to lower-carbon fuel sources as soon as possible,” agreed Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages. “We could do this today with our existing engines if more sustainable ‘drop-in’ fuels were available in our ports of call. Unfortunately, these fuels are not yet widely available, and in most cases, are not cost competitive. We want to work with partners to pioneer for the essential change.”

Argent Energy can produce around 240,000 metric tonnes of sustainable second-generation biodiesel annually, with more capacity in the pipeline.

Another vital partnership was formed in August 2022 when Argent Energy announced an agreement with Eco Clarity. Argent is always on the lookout for efficiency improvements, and pairing with Eco Clarity was an obvious benefit as the company had developed a unique technology to filter wastewater into usable oil residues which make the base for biodiesel.

By separating fat, oils and grease (FOG) through an automated system that is housed across three containers, valuable second-generation biodiesel can be produced.

“A standard Eco Clarity hub can handle 10 tonnes of FOG containing waste water in 10 minutes, which can then go on to be separated and harvested within 30 minutes. The hub’s efficient system currently uses just 25% of the energy typically used in similar processes, with temperatures never exceeding 60 degrees to ensure a low energy consumption,” says Eco Clarity.

“Through Eco Clarity and Argent Energy, valuable renewable resources have been created from materials that may otherwise have ended up discarded,” adds Argent Energy.

FAME

December 2022 saw Argent Energy begin groundworks for a new refined glycerine plant at the Port of Amsterdam. Already active in the Netherlands, this new facility will produce 50,000 tons per year and sees Argent expanding its horizons beyond biodiesel. A waste product from the refining of biodiesel, glycerine will be converted to a 99.7% pure, technical grade product for use in the chemical industry across a range of applications from plastics to resins.

“This refining facility will help add real value to what is a standard processing residue with limited applications,” said Rietkerk. “It will also help reduce carbon emissions in industrial processes where refined glycerine is an important component. Together with our up-coming five-fold increase of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) production capacity, the construction of this glycerine refinery shows our strong belief that waste-based biodiesel will remain a crucial part of decarbonisation in transport and other industries for decades to come.”

A recent trial of Argent Energy’s FAME, used by FincoEnergies and Dutch maritime logistics company VT Group, saw the material power the MTS Vlissingen, a liquid cargo tanker. As a drop-in replacement for diesel, FAME is well-suited to the maritime sector. The three companies will continue to work together to advance production and learnings.

“The results of the pilot are welcome of course, but actually no great surprise. It is widely known how cost-effective biofuels are in their contribution to decarbonisation, we just need governments to be more ambitious and not miss the huge opportunity to push more maritime GHG savings right now,” said Posnett. “Industry is ready to deliver more, with immediate effect, so work on the longer-term solutions can continue apace in the knowledge we are doing all we can in the meantime to maximise carbon reductions for the planet.”

As a concept, the use of biodiesel and biofuels is proven – clear benefits exist. The science is obvious – biodiesel compared to traditional fossil fuels generates significantly reduced carbon emissions. Critically, biodiesel is now affordable and available. But most importantly, it is sustainable and renewable. Innovation and pioneering spirit is rife at Argent Energy and the company is keen to partner, encouraging all potential clients to get involved as soon as possible to understand how they can achieve return on investment and improved performance.

“The entrepreneurs who started Argent built the first biodiesel plant in Scotland, showing that it could be possible to make biodiesel out of animal fat as a direct replacement for diesel,” says Posnett.

“There are a lot of rewards for getting it right,” he concludes. “You’re going to be first to the action, you’re going to have reputational benefits; to be the one that is not doing it is going to be painful.”

For Argent, the customer base is only going to grow with the Fit for 55 coming into the spotlight. The company has refined its expertise, and is growing its marketplace. This is an example to follow for all in the sustainability space.