Glycerol

Latest Articles

Glycerol
Page 1, 2, 3 Next

Downsizer Forum Index -> Energy Efficiency and Construction/Major Projects

Author

Message

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 12 6:26 pm Post subject: Glycerol

Being a by-product of biodiesel production, mucky glycerol is rapidly becoming one of the most overabundent commodities in the known world (or at least my back yard).
There are lots of things you can do with good glycerol, but this stuff is too mucky even to burn effectively: the soap gums up the burner.
So I'm thinking I need to refine it, and I'm thinking of setting up a still, but I thought I'd ask here, see if anyone has any cunning ideas...

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 12 6:50 pm Post subject:

Make soap?

Or sell it HERE but its only worth £20 per tonne.

Here are some suggestions

Quote:

Glycerol is used for a variety of purposes across many different industries. The following is a list of current uses of glycerol:

Food – glycerol is used as an artificial sweetener, especially in low-fat foods, since it is better for blood pressure than sugar. It is also used as a thickening agent and an ester in shortenings and margarine. It also can be used as a substitute ingredient in animal feed.

Basic Materials – Glycerol be used as a substitute for petroleum-based polypropelene, a textile, and in both rigid and flexible industrial foams. It is also used as a building block for many different kinds of industrial chemicals.

Pharmaceuticals – Used as an additive in cough syrup, toothpaste, skin care, hair care soap and many others.

Explosives – The compound nitroglycerin, made with glycerol, is commonly used in all types of explosives.

Other – Used as an ingredient in antifreeze, hydraulic fluids, plasticizers

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 12 6:59 pm Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

Make soap?

Not sure I can use that much soap...

Quote:

Or sell it HERE but its only worth £20 per tonne.

Ooh, it's gone up. Was only £15 when I asked.

Quote:

Here are some suggestions

Quote:

Glycerol is used for a variety of purposes across many different industries. The following is a list of current uses of glycerol:

All need it to be clean... But thanks for the input.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 12 8:41 pm Post subject:
If you clean it cant it be reused in the process?

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 12 8:52 pm Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

If you clean it cant it be reused in the process?

No, it is a waste product of the process.
But one of the main contaminants is methanol left over from the reaction. If we can separate that, it can be re-used... is nasty stuff though.

Colin & Jan

Joined: 03 Mar 2006
Posts: 203
Location: Dover, Kent

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 12 7:44 am Post subject:
Someone I know takes it all to the local tip and pours it in the waste vegetable oil collection bin, working on the basis that the larger bio-diesel producers are able deal with it better than he can.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 12 8:37 am Post subject:

Colin & Jan wrote:

Someone I know takes it all to the local tip and pours it in the waste vegetable oil collection bin, working on the basis that the larger bio-diesel producers are able deal with it better than he can.

Yes. Getting rid of it is not actually a major problem, it just seems to me rather wasteful.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 12 1:08 pm Post subject:
I've been doing some rummaging on t'net, and apparently it can be used in chicken feed... I've also been looking at a process to get hydrogen from it, but I am not sure what I would do with hydrogen if I did... I know it is the fuel of the future, but nothing I've got will run on it.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 12 1:23 pm Post subject:
Glycerol -> chicken -> guano -> methane Chicken -> nom -> composting toilet -> methane

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 12 3:20 pm Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

Glycerol -> chicken -> guano -> methane

Chicken -> nom -> composting toilet -> methane

Methanogenesis is another game I want to look into, but I don't use that much of it, so it would still leave me a problem.

I could try pumping it into my cooker point and see if the meter goes backwards...

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 12 7:37 pm Post subject:
Can I watch?

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 12 7:39 pm Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

Can I watch?

Of course.
Won't be for a while yet though...

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 12 7:44 pm Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

Can I watch?

Save your bus fare. It'll be on the news.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 12 7:45 pm Post subject:
Have camera and internet connection.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 12 8:47 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

vegplot wrote:

Can I watch?

Save your bus fare. It'll be on the news.

Ye of little faith.

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Energy Efficiency and Construction/Major Projects	All times are GMT Page 1, 2, 3 Next
Page 1 of 3

View Latest Posts