title: Characterization of crude glycerol from biodiesel plants.
abstract: Characterization of crude glycerol is very important to its value-added conversion. In this study, the physical and chemical properties of five biodiesel-derived crude glycerol samples were determined. Three methods, including iodometric-periodic acid method, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography (GC), were shown to be suitable for the determination of glycerol content in crude glycerol. The compositional analysis of crude glycerol was successfully achieved by crude glycerol fractionation and characterization of the obtained fractions (aqueous and organic) using titrimetric, HPLC, and GC analyses. The aqueous fraction consisted mainly of glycerol, methanol, and water, while the organic fraction contained fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), free fatty acids (FFAs), and glycerides. Despite the wide variations in the proportion of their components, all raw crude glycerol samples were shown to contain glycerol, soap, methanol, FAMEs, water, glycerides, FFAs, and ash.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center , 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, Ohio 44691-4096, United States.
authors.forename: Shengjun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xiaolan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Caixia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Yebo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels / Q000032:analysis*; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005989:Glycerides / Q000032:analysis; D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry*; D000432:Methanol / Q000032:analysis; D012915:Soaps / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005989:Glycerides; D012915:Soaps; D014867:Water; D005990:Glycerol; D000432:Methanol