Crude Glycerine Mixed Origin
80% Min, Mixed Origin Grade
Manufacturing Process
1. Recovery of fat
First of all, 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 adsorbed by the charcoal. On the other hand, an additional method by chemical reaction is required for edible oils (oxidation and reduction reaction).
4. Deodorization
The adsorbed oils are further treated for scent and foul odour removal. Steam distillation is utilized to remove any volatile impurities that contribute to the unpleasant smell. Steam distillation makes use of the non volatile 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.
5. 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.
Applications
1. Feedstock
Crude glycerine has a high metabolizable – digestible energy ratio that is almost identical to soybean oil. The source of energy from glycerine is used to feed cattle and other herbivorous animal farms.
2. Chemical Intermediate
The remaining crude glycerine is utilized as an intermediary chemical through thermo-chemical conversions. The product propylene glycol is manufactured from crude glycerine through a process called hydrogenolysis. The propylene glycol is utilized as an antifreeze compound and as a fuel additive in methanol fueled vehicles.
3. Composting
Crude glycerine is able to be used in composting through various biological conversions. The product succinic acid is produced from the fermentation process of crude glycerine with the bacterium Anaerobiospirillum succinici. In addition, further research has suggested that algal fermentation may convert crude glycerine into omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid.