Purification of Glycerol Obtained during Biodiesel Synthesis and Production of Value - Added Product

Abstract

Globally biodiesel is one of the best alternative fuels, and is seeing an exponential increase in demand. Despite the bright prospect of biodiesel production, efforts to commercialize it has been very limited. One of the major obstacles has been the high price associated with total production costs. Thus, it is necessary to reduce its processing cost to make biodiesel production feasible. This can be achieved by giving a value-added application for its byproduct. Glycerol is produced as an approximately 10-15% as a byproduct of the transesterification of triglycerides. Glycerol is a valuable byproduct obtained during biodiesel production but it is obtained in a crude form limiting its application. This byproduct needs to be purified efficiently to utilize it. Therefore, the present work aims to report phases in which the crude glycerol is purified. There are two phases in which the crude glycerol is purified. The Crude Glycerol is processed through saponification and then neutralization in the first phase. This produces three layers from which partly purified glycerol is obtained through separation. In the second phase of purification, the glycerol layer is separated from various salt impurities by the use of non-polar solvents. This glycerol is then extracted from the solvent and is subjected to decolorization using charcoal. Soaps and detergents are prepared as a valueadded product from the obtained glycerol.