Biogreen Diesel has been awarded the 2016 South Africa Biofuels Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan for its work in the biofuel industry producing biodiesel from waste cooking oil. Biogreen began processing between 3,000 to 5,000 litres each month in Cape Town and today is processing between 20,000 to 25,000 litres per month. The company has announced plans for two new biodiesel facilities in Johannesburg and Durban. Once these plants are completed and in operation, Biogreen will be producing more than 300,000 litres per month.
South African restaurateur Roy de Gouveia established the company when he realized the need that biodiesel was providing local communities. He set up his own plant to meet both the needs of South African consumers but also to ensure that waste cooking oil was not recycled and sold to poorer communities.
Roy de Gouveia says that margins in the recycling business tend to be sparse but because his company uses waste cooking oil as its feedstock, the highest costs in biodiesel production, his biodiesel is affordable. He sells high quality biodiesel based on manufacturers’ warranties that can range from 5 percent to 100 percent in industrial motors. In addition, Biogreen offers suppliers and customers set contracts that are not tied to oil prices, and the company offers end-to-end services for select customers – collecting their used oil and re-delivering it as biodiesel.
“Receiving the Frost & Sullivan Award is a great milestone in our journey. We are humbled and honored to receive the Award. We strive daily to better the processes of eradicating waste oil being re-sold into poorer communities, as well as being exported which has a higher carbon footprint than fossil fuels,” said Roy de Gouveia, Biogreen founder.
“Under a license agreement, Biogreen uses locally developed and patented jet reactor technology to make SANS1935 specification biodiesel,” said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Constance Nyambayo. “While the standard trans-esterification process is conducted at 60 degrees Celsius, Biogreen’s technology allows it to run its processes at 45 degrees Celsius. It uses 16% methanol, which is lower than what other reactors use, making it even more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, its biodiesel is of higher quality and requires less time for conversion.”
Nyambayo added, “Biogreen enables customers to bolster their brand and corporate image by marketing their use of sustainable fuels,” “This visionary leadership, exemplified by its focus on driving business performance by innovating for the future, has made Biogreen a worthy recipient of Frost & Sullivan’s honour.”