Refined Glycerine 99.7% Min (Mixed Animal Fat)

Brief Overview

Refined Glycerine, also known as glycerol or glycerin, is a simple straight-chain sugar alcohol that has three hydroxyl groups, which results in water solubility and hygroscopicity of glycerin. This is a clear, colorless, odorless, high boiling, viscous liquid. It is naturally sweet and has low toxicity. It has a typical melting point and boiling point of 17.8°C and 290°C, respectively. Refined Glycerine density is 1.26 g/cm³. It comes from petrochemical feedstock. Due to its low toxicity and environmental friendliness, it is used in many applications such as food, medicine, cosmetics, and personal care items. It is also a versatile and valuable product from biodiesel production.

Manufacturing Process

Recovery of fat

Animal fats are collected from slaughterhouses. The fat tissue from animal parts is cooked. The elevated temperature ensures the fat to be released in liquid state and promotes cell rupture. On the other hand, an alternative method requires partial heating and the mechanical rupture of the fat tissue to release fat.

Degumming

The degumming process of animals is the removal of dissolved phosphatides through centrifugation. Water is added to the oil that allows the precipitation of phosphatides. The newly formed precipitate is heavier as phosphatides readily absorb water. The centrifugation process separates the heavy phosphatides from the oil phase to the water phase.

Bleaching

Bleaching of oil is required to release unwanted pigment and other oxidizing agents that may alter the appearance of the product. Bleaching is performed by adding charcoal or earth clay. The existing pigment from the oil will be absorbed by the charcoal. On the other hand, an additional method by chemical reaction is required for edible oils (oxidation and reduction reaction).

Deodorization

The adsorbed oils are further treated for scent and foul odor removal. Steam distillation is utilized to remove any volatile impurities that contribute to the unpleasant smell. Steam distillation makes use of the nonvolatile animal fat to remove any aldehydes, ketones, and other compounds that are classified as an impurity. In a distillation chamber, high pressure is injected under vacuum conditions around 180-250 degrees centigrade. The non-volatile triglyceride remains unchanged while volatile impurities cascade upwards and are removed from the animal fat.

Transesterification

The animal fat is decomposed by hydrolysis reaction under high temperature and pressure. The process utilizes water to break down the chains of triglycerides into glycerol/glycerine and chains of fatty acid. In this step, glycerine becomes available for extraction; however, further refining is required for the newly made glycerine to be called refined glycerine.

Separation

The mixture of glycerine and a chain of fatty acids is further refined by a series of separation processes. The oil mixture is distilled to separate the fatty acids from the desired glycerine. The distillation column is heated to promote the evaporation of both glycerol and fatty acid. Glycerine has lower boiling point; therefore, glycerine will evaporate readily at a certain range temperature whereas the chains of fatty acid will remain as liquid.

Pharmaceuticals Industry

Glycerine is widely used as a raw material for pharmaceutical purposes. The chemical compound has contributed to heart medication, suppositories, cough remedies and anesthetics. In addition, glycerine has a laxative properties that are able to improve digested food to flow smoothly along the lining of the stomach.

Cosmetic Industry

In cosmetic products, glycerine retains water to maintain product softness, creaminess, and storage life.  Glycerin’s low vapor pressure allows the compound to persist when moisture continuously releases to the surroundings.

Food Industry

In athletics, glycerine drink is used to help water hydration in athletes during exercise. It is also mainly used as a raw ingredient to be a sweetener.

Industrial Applications

Glycerine has been recently researched to provide an intermediary product for fuel additives. Fuel additives are used to decrease harmful emission by utilizing oxygenated glycerin derivative fuel additives. On the other hand, the lubricating properties of glycerine are used to enhance machine performance and reduce friction. The friction reduction allows heat to dissipate and prevent machinery from overheating. In addition, the economic viability of utilizing glycerin is another reason for to be used as a chemical intermediate and industrial applications.