Refined Glycerine 99.7% USP (Vegetable Based)

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

Degumming

The degumming process of vegetable oil involves the removal of phosphatides from vegetable oil by centrifugation. Water is added to the mixture to allow the precipitation of phosphatides dissolved in oil. The precipitated phosphatides become heavier in mass due to the high water content absorbed. The centrifugation process allows phosphatides to migrate to the water phase; therefore, removing impurities in the oil. Degumming is required to refine the quality of the vegetable oil and allows longer storage time.

Deacidification

The vegetable oils undergo deacidification through a series of solvent extraction processes. The initial vegetable oil is mixed in methanol by agitation. The existing free fatty acid in the oil will preferably dissolve in methanol and decrease the concentration in the oil. As free fatty acid is the cause of the oxidation and unpleasant scent of the oil, it is essential to remove the compound from the oil to promote storage time and refining.  

Transeferication/Saponification

The deacidified oil is decomposed through a process called hydrolysis. The process utilizes water to break down the chains of triglycerides into glycerol/glycerine and fatty acid under high temperature and pressure. In this step, glycerine becomes available for extraction and undergoes further refining.

Glycerin pre-treatment

The mixture of glycerine and 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 glycerine and fatty acid. Glycerine has higher boiling point; therefore, glycerine will evaporate readily at a certain range temperature whereas the chains of fatty acid will remain as liquid.

Evaporation

The extracted mixture of glycerine is not fully refined as leftover methanol has not been removed from the deacidification process; therefore, evaporating the methanol from the glycerine is required to produce a readily refined glycerine. 

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. In athletics, glycerine drink is used to help water hydration in athletes due to the loss during exercise.

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.