Argent Energy expansion and diversification

Argent Energy, a manufacturer of biofuels in the UK and the Netherlands, announced in May that it is expanding its second-generation biodiesel production capacity in the Port of Amsterdam to 540,000 tons per year. With this expansion, the company wants to make a significant contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in road and maritime transport, and in particular the difficult to decarbonize sector of heavy-duty vehicles.

Argent Energy has been producing biodiesel made from waste organic fats and oils since 2005. In 2018, adding to their production plants in England and Scotland, the company invested in a biodiesel facility in Amsterdam’s Western Docklands.

Argent avoids the use of crops but instead uses designated waste raw materials for its production of biodiesel which have few or no alternative applications. This is so-called second-generation biodiesel, which does not use food or feed resources. Argent Energy’s expansion in Amsterdam includes the development of a new and innovative production process which will bring improved process efficiency and even greater reductions of GHG emissions.

Argent has also recently made process modifications to its plants in order to supply a product for use in marine fuel engines. This fully biogenic product is compatible with many existing marine engines as a replacement for fossil-fuel based products and reduces green-house gas emissions by around  80-90%.

Full-scale operations to supply this material began in July this year.