P.E Goes Biogreen

Press Release
29 June 2010

P.E Goes Biogreen

This June 2010 Biogreen Diesel has opened a new refinery in Port Elizabeth. Biogreen Diesel is a successful renewable energy company which uses patented state of the art jet reactor to produce pollution reducing biodiesel from both virgin and waste oil.

“ This is an exciting time for us as a country with the energy and buzz of the world cup, and double exciting for Biogreen as a company as we are opening our second refinery in less than two years” comments Jeff Theodor, Director of Biogreen Diesel.

Biogreen started at the beginning of 2009 and its main clients include Pick n Pay , Spar and Cape Concrete as well as a number of smaller companies who are environmentally conscious about their operations and wish to reduce their carbon emissions.

“Biogreen started off as an idea to produce biodiesel from my garage from the waste oil of my restaurant ,Wasabi . Two years down the line we are a successful business and looking forward to expand not too far in the future” says Roy de Gouveia , Managing Director of Biogreen Diesel.

Some of Biogreen current projects are a project with the Round Table on sustainable Biofuels and WWF International on developing and field testing a certification module for sustainable biofuel feedstock production that prevent displacement of food production, thereby minimizing the risk of indirect impacts.
Biodiesel has a strong solvent property which has the benefit of keeping your engine clean and thus lasting longer. The fact that biodiesel is a stronger solvent means it removes a lot of dirt and grime that has been deposited in your fuel tank and pipes from when the vehicle used mineral diesel. Studies have shown that using biodiesel can in fact extend the life of a diesel engine.

Biogreen Diesel is extremely happy about expanding and that people are becoming more aware of the planet and how we need to look after it. Biogreen plans to open in Johannesburg later this year and hopes to reduce more emissions from the transport sector on a national level.


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For further information please visit www.biogreen.co.za or call us on 0860 BIO GRN

Cape Town firm pioneers production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil, chicken fat

A Cape Town-based renewable-energy company, BioGreen Diesel, is currently pioneering the conversion of waste cooking oil into a less expensive, pollution-free biodiesel product.

In an interview with Engineering News, BioGreen Diesel CEO Roy de Gouveia elaborates that the company became operational earlier this year in an effort to advocate sustainability by producing biofuels.

While the debate rages among industry members as to what feedstock should be used to create biofuels, De Gouveia believes that the only viable feedstock option is waste cooking oil.

Thus, the aim of BioGreen Diesel is to create high-quality biodiesel feedstock from waste cooking oil and chicken fat.

The plant, which is based in Goodwood, Cape Town, has a capacity of 2 000 ∙/d.

The company uses the first patented jet reactor, invented by Org Nieuwoudt, to convert waste oil and chicken fat from restau- rants and retailers into an environment- friendly fuel that can be used as a mixture with, or a substitute for, diesel.

“Our biodiesel product is of a very good quality and meets both European Union and US specifications,” De Gouveia tells Engineering News.

Petrochemicals giant Sasol conducts tests on BioGreen Diesel’s finished product, ensuring the company produces high-quality biodiesel that meets international standards.

“No other company in South Africa has set this as a norm,” enthuses De Gouveia.

According to him, biodiesel has a minimal impact on the environment. It is nontoxic, has a higher flash point than mineral diesel, so it is safer to handle, and has reduced exhaust emissions in comparison. (four hundred litres of biodiesel exchanged for the same volume of diesel will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by one ton.)

De Gouveia states that the company currently sources its waste cooking oil from 150 restaurants in Cape Town and sources the chicken fat from rotisseries located at Pick n Pay outlets in the Cape Peninsula.

“We are currently targeting the top restau- rants in Cape Town as it is important to source the best-quality waste cooking oil,” states De Gouveia.

The company sources the best-quality waste cooking oil owing to the fact that, as waste cooking oil is reused, the free fatty acid content increases, making it harmful to consumers and decreasing the quality of the biodiesel that can be made. (Often this oil finds its way into animal feed, pet food, or sold back to unsuspecting consumers.)

Although BioGreen Diesel only became operational earlier this year, it has nego- tiated supply contracts with major retailers Pick n Pay and Spar, as well as with Cape Concrete.

De Gouveia elaborates that Cape Concrete was the company’s first client and, as a result, the trucks delivering concrete to the Green Point stadium this year used a blend of diesel and biodiesel.

Major retailer Pick n Pay uses a 20% biodie sel blend in its delivery trucks in the Cape Peninsula.

Pick n Pay is following in the footsteps of international retailers such as Walmart, which has also adopted the practice of using a biodesel blend to fuel transport trucks.

By using a biodiesel/diesel mix, Pick n Pay and Spar, combined, will reduce their carbon emissions by about 1 500 t in the Western Cape over the next year.

BioGreen Diesel is experiencing significant growth, currently evidenced by the fact that the company opened a second plant in Johannesburg last month.

De Gouveia elaborates that the Midrand-based plant has a much larger capacity of 6 0000.

“We are currently negotiating supply contracts with major retailers in the Gauteng region,” continues De Gouveia.

The company also intends to expand operations to Port Elizabeth and Durban by mid-2010.

Sunday Times Artice- Fuelled by poultry power

Fuelled by poultry power

Nov 22, 2009 12:00 AM | By Anton Ferreiar

Cape Town's Green Point stadium is not only a spectacular venue for the 2010 World Cup - it's a monument to thousands of dead chickens that did their bit to reduce global warming.

The firm that provided many of the pre-cast concrete seats and beams for the stadium, Cape Concrete, runs its trucks on environment-friendly biodiesel made in part from chicken fat.

"It really works well, no problems," said Cape Concrete managing director Darty Louw. "You're burning much cleaner fuel, which is also locally made. It's not nearly as toxic as regular diesel and is a great way of getting rid of waste."

The biodiesel is supplied by Cape Town-based BioGreen, which uses a locally developed "jet reactor" to turn waste cooking oil and chicken fat into a fuel which, the company boasts, meets US and European quality specifications.

BioGreen director Jeff Theodor said the company obtained used oil and fat to use as the main ingredient in its diesel. "That's why we're in the business," he said. "It's the reduction of carbon emissions. Is it the future? Of course it's the future."

BioGreen operates out of a small warehouse filled with tanks, pipes, pumps and the smell of sunflower seed oil. At the heart of the process is the jet reactor, or what Theodor calls the "magic box": a steel chamber the size of a shoe box in which the raw materials are pumped through nozzles.

The patent is held by Org Nieuwoudt, who adapted a device originally designed to extract gold from slurry, which is ground-up ore mixed with water.

"For our trucks we only allow a 5% blend with normal petroleum diesel," said Christo Kleynhans, product manager for Mercedes-Benz trucks. "If you increase that above 5% you need to increase your service intervals."

Biogreen Diesel goes Live with Pick n Pay and Spar

Biogreen diesel has gone live with both Pick n Pay and Spar in the Western Cape. We will be expanding to Johannesburg in November to roll out Pick n Pay as well as our Cradle to grave scenario through the hospitality industry.

Pick n Pay have been using a (B10) 10% blend with Biodiesel and mineral diesel in all their trucks. Spar are still currently in their Pilot phase with a (B5)5% blend currently.

Pick n Pay have reduced over 50 Tonnes of Carbon Emissions with a prediction of over 1000 Tonnes betweeen both large retailers in 2010.