Pixabay
Pixabay

Leading European biofuels manufacturer Argent Energy has launched a glycerine facility at its Port of Amsterdam site in the Netherlands.

The 50,000 tonnes/year refinery will upgrade crude glycerine – a by-product of Argent’s waste-based biodiesel process – into 99.7% technical-grade glycerine, the company said on 1 October.

“By upgrading glycerine from our processes into a technical-grade product, we’re giving the chemical industry a bio-based option they can … use in their own products,” Argent Energy CEO Louise Calviou said.

The refined glycerine could be used to produce ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, which act as anti-freezing agents, the company said.

It can also be used as a plasticiser agent in the production of polymers, such as plastics and foams; and is suitable for use in the production of epichlorohydrin, a key component in the creation of epoxy resins; and other applications.

Argent Energy, which currently produces over 190,000 tonnes/year of waste-based biodiesel for use in road transport, marine and power generation, said its aim to scale up its operations and decarbonisation efforts included plans to triple biofuel production at its Amsterdam site.