Cradle to Gate
Identity ID
2a168d1f2f3443b2b31b52e473178272
Materials
Associated ID
4c1b83b9-f0f0-4e7f-b2bb-a9c50b9e6291
Included activities starts
Included activities ends
Description
Glycerol can be used in FDA-approved wound and burn treatments, bacterial culture media, as an effective biomarker for assessing liver disease, as a sweetener in the food industry, and as a humectant in pharmaceutical formulations. This dataset includes primary raw materials, auxiliary materials, energy inputs, and atmospheric emissions associated with the production process; however, infrastructure such as production equipment and facility construction is excluded from the system boundary. Life cycle inventory data were sourced from literature and optimized based on the best available information for 2022. The process of producing biodiesel from collected, treated, and processed waste edible oils includes filtration and pretreatment, esterification, neutralization, separation, decolorization and purification, water and acid removal, and distillation. and refining processes, where moisture is evaporated through high-temperature cooking to separate impurities and water from the oil, with glycerol as a co-product.
Activity Description
The process flow for producing biodiesel from the collection, treatment, and processing of waste cooking oil includes filtration and pretreatment, esterification, neutralization, separation, decolorization and purification, dehydration and acid removal, distillation, and refining. Among these, water is evaporated through high-temperature boiling to separate impurities and water from the oil, with glycerol being a co-product.
Process Description
Glycerol, also known as glycerin, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C3H8O3. It is a simple polyol compound, appearing as a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, viscous liquid with a sweet taste. Due to its three hydroxyl groups, glycerol is miscible with water and exhibits hygroscopic properties. Because of its antibacterial and antiviral characteristics, it is widely used in FDA-approved wound and burn treatments. It can also serve as a bacterial culture medium and an effective biomarker for assessing liver diseases. Additionally, glycerol is extensively used as a sweetener in the food industry and as a humectant in pharmaceutical formulations.
Time period
2020
2026
Geography
China
Macroeconomic value
Business-as-Usual
Data validation
Yes
Technology
Current Technology