Member Article

Halifax environmental firm completes its biggest ever shipment of "green" oil

A West Yorkshire environmental specialist has completed its biggest shipments of “green” oil which will be used as a hi-tech aviation fuel across the world.

In its first four full ocean tankers, the Halifax-based Leo Group has shipped 10,700 tonnes of tallow recycled at its Omega Proteins plants in Bradford and Penrith. This accounts for 10,700,000 litres of oil.

The tallow, a natural by-product rendered from animal waste collected by the company from all over the UK, is a key component in the process to create an advanced form of biodiesel.

The overseas shipments come as the company marks another environmental milestone; the tallow and poultry oils produced at both of these rendering plants are now certified under the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) scheme.

The ISCC seal is used by industry to distinguish between truly sustainable and unsustainable biomass fuels.

Leo Group managing director Danny Sawrij said: “We are delighted that customers around the world are drawing upon our expertise to drive down the world’s carbon footprint.

“Waste is not in the Leo Group’s vocabulary or culture – everything these days has a use and 100% of all by-product materials on our sites are now recycled.

“A few years ago, a dead sheep would be buried in the ground with the risk of contamination. Now we can turn those sheep into diesel and electricity – you can run your car on it and turn your lights on. That is how far we have come.”

There has been a push in recent years from the EU to increase the use of biofuels in the world’s energy mix in order to reduce reliance on traditional fossil fuels with their associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Biodiesel is proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to traditional fossil diesel.

Unsustainable biofuels can cause significant environmental damage, the most obvious example being the clearance of virgin rainforest to grow oil plants such as palm oil.

In judging sustainability the ISCC audit and certification process assessed the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable land use, protection of natural habitat and social sustainability.

The ISCC certification also guarantees compliance with the requirements of the EC Renewable Energy Directive (RED).

Pictured right: Environmental technician Jodie Horner with the ISCC accreditation

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .