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With a vision to help decarbonize transport worldwide, Argent Energy Group( Argent) is a European producer of second-generation biodiesel with an annual production of around 200,000 metric tons. From its plants in Cheshire and Amsterdam, the company exclusively uses waste materials to create its biodiesel while continuously searching for new waste to be turned into higher value products. Louise Calviou, Chief Executive Officer, sheds more light on Argent’ s mission and objectives.
“ Argent first began producing biodiesel over 20 years ago at our plant in Scotland, which was originally designed as a demonstration facility for Europe to show that we could use and convert waste fats that could not be used for food, feed or other chemical application. At our core, we make second-generation biodiesel from certified end-of-life waste. This means we will not use anything that could serve an alternative purpose; it has to be a real waste product. We take the most degraded fats that are truly difficult to treat, the dirtiest feedstocks, and through extensive pre-treatment and state-of-the-art processing technology, we turn them into a clean, high-quality biodiesel product. When you compare it against a fossil fuel, this product delivers around a 90 percent greenhouse gas benefit. Our main business is producing biodiesel through our production plants in the UK and the Netherlands, and we also have a high blends business through which we sell directly to bus and HGV operators. While we started at around 50,000 tons of biodiesel, today we are at approximately 200,000 tons, making us one of the leading producers of wastebased biodiesel. We are owned by John Swire & Sons, a large multinational with strong sustainability ambitions, which makes us a natural fit within their portfolio as we help them achieve those goals,” she begins.
Meeting increased demand
Argent’ s mission is to reduce the world’ s carbon footprint. Supporting this mission is its Dieselite product range, which has already made a significant difference within the transport sector. Although petrol at fuel stations contains bioethanol and retail diesel typically includes up to the standard B7 blend, a maximum of seven percent biodiesel, transport sectors like HGVs and buses remain among the hardest to decarbonize via electrification alone. Dieselite addresses that gap directly by offering blends of between ten and 30 percent biodiesel, which is significantly higher than the fuel available from filling stations and allows operators to make a meaningful reduction in their greenhouse gas profile with minimal operational changes. Some of Argent’ s customers run entire bus fleets on its Dieselite high blends. Moreover, the company varies the blend percentage seasonally to maximize greenhouse gas savings. In summer, customers can benefit
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