Argent expands portfolio of sustainable products

Argent Energy, a leading European manufacturer of biofuels in the UK and the Netherlands, has commenced groundworks for construction of a glycerine refinery in the Port of Amsterdam.
The facility is expected produce 50,000 tons of refined glycerine per year.
With this construction, the company is expanding its portfolio of sustainable products and will be entering the chemical market for the first time.
Aligned with Argent Energy’s vision to Reduce the World’s Carbon Footprint by turning waste into valuable products, Argent will be transforming a natural by-product of the biodiesel process, into a technical-grade product suitable for the chemical industry.
Argent’s new venture and expansion plans reflect the increased worldwide demand to move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources.
The producer is due to scale up biodiesel production in Amsterdam five-fold to 540,000 tons per year, consequently increasing glycerine production, a natural by-product of the process.
Crude glycerine is recognised by The Renewable Energy Directive II (2009/28/EC) as a processing residue, generated as a by-product during the production of biodiesel.
The uses of crude glycerine are limited due to its contaminants - water, salts and Matter Organic Non Glycerol.
However, Argent Energy’s decision to invest in a state-of-the-art glycerine refinery, using technology and equipment provided by Andreotti Impianti of Florence, Italy will upgrade the renewable crude glycerine created from the biodiesel process into a high purity sustainable chemical that will have better value applications across industry.
Argent will produce 99.7% pure refined glycerine suitable for a wide range of technical applications. It could be used to produce ethyleneglycol or propyleneglycol to act as an anti-freezing agent, and could be used as a plasticizer agent for the production of polymers such as plastics and foams.
Argent’s refined glycerine can also be used for the production of epichlorohydrin, a main component for the creation of epoxy resins.