Turning Glycerin Into Gold

Glycerin is the byproduct of making biodiesel. For every gallon of biodiesel made you get about 1/10 of a gallon of glycerin. Biodiesel manufacturers have always depended on the value derived from the sale of glycerin to make the overall economics of production worthwhile. And although glycerin is used in many products, as biodiesel production has increased the amount of glycerin has also increased, creating an oversupply situation and lowering the value of glycerin. Add to that the rising costs of feedstocks and biodiesel manufacturers have seen profit margins decreasing.

Two processes have been in the news lately which may allow producers to process glycerin into higher value products.

Turning a Glycerin Glut Into Ethanol Helps Biofuel Industry

Generating Hydrogen From Biodiesel Waste