UCO collector Apeiron Bioenergy secures equity investment from Proterra Investment Partners Asia

Apeiron Bioenergy collects used cooking oil for repurposing as advanced biofuel feedstock.

Apeiron Bioenergy has entered into an equity-investment agreement with Proterra Investment Partners Asia. The proceeds will be used to increase the number of used cooking oil (UCO) collection points and upgrade existing processing plants to produce feedstocks of higher specifications.

“Considering the extremely tough macroenvironment now, it is a testament for Apeiron Bioenergy to weather such conditions and successfully fundraise,” said Chris Chen, co-founder at Apeiron Bioenergy. “Investors believe in our business fundamentals and our vision for decarbonization. We look forward to increasing collection of used cooking oil to make an even stronger environmental and social impact.”

Apeiron Bioenergy recently closed a separate equity-financing round with Mitsui Chemicals. Both investments are set to position Apeiron Bioenergy for exponential growth amidst growing demand for renewable feedstock used to produce advanced biofuels.

The global biofuel industry is projected to significantly increase by 2025. Compared to 2020, it is expected to triple in Asia, grow three-fold in Europe and six-fold in the U.S., according to a January 2021 assessment by Greenea, a broker and consultant specializing in waste-based feedstock and biodiesel.

A leading integrated player and solutions provider in the bioenergy space, Apeiron Bioenergy collects and processes a range of renewable feedstocks including UCO and palm oil mill effluent (POME), and acts as a critical exporter across an ever-expanding Asian market.

Over the past 15 years, Apeiron Bioenergy has built its presence in 10 countries and collected more than 500 million liters (132 million gallons) of UCO between 2017 and 2021, offsetting an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions.

“Together with Apeiron, we can help organize and upcycle food-waste streams across Asia and in the process support advanced biofuel development globally,” said Tai Lin, managing partner of Proterra Investment Partners Asia. “This investment will open up collaboration opportunities for our food and farming portfolio and create some of the positive impacts that everyone is talking about.”

In addition, further avenues for strategic collaboration will be made possible with Proterra Investment Partners Asia, whose food and agricultural investment-management expertise and upstream connections will fast-track growth.

Apeiron Bioenergy has had a busy year. In May, the company received a green loan from HSBC as part of the “Enterprise Financing Scheme-Green” under Enterprise Singapore. This is HSBC’s first EFS green loan processed under a streamlined certification process to provide enterprises with simpler access to sustainable financing.

“We are grateful for the industry support that will allow us to build a collaborative community to resolve supply-chain inefficiencies with Apeiron Bioenergy’s multicultural and multijurisdictional strategy,” said Richard Huang, co-founder at Apeiron Bioenergy. “At Apeiron Bioenergy, our vision is to reduce carbon emissions across the land, sea and air transportation spaces with an efficient supply of biofuels.”