Glycerin from Natural Products

Abstract

Several commercial grades of glycerine are produced with different specifications regarding purity and glycerine content. Its chemical properties are the reason for its wide application in such industries as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and explosive and epoxy resin manufacturing. Natural oils and fats are important resources from which glycerine is recovered, two main processes being used: fat-splitting hydrolysis (from which 15-20% crude results) and saponification (crude recovered from spent lyes at 10-15% glycerine content).