Cradle to Gate
Identity ID
98ebe475456b48f1aa9b418e76dd92d0
Materials
Associated ID
e7c280e5-67ad-42c2-a6aa-da890e89e3cd
Included activities starts
Included activities ends
Description
Glycerol can be used in FDA-approved wound and burn treatments, bacterial culture media, an effective biomarker for assessing liver disease, a sweetener in the food industry, and a humectant in pharmaceutical formulations. This dataset includes primary raw materials, energy inputs, and atmospheric emissions from the production process; however, infrastructure such as production equipment and facility construction are excluded from the system boundary. The life cycle inventory data were sourced from the literature and optimized based on the best available information from 2022. The process flow for producing biodiesel from waste edible oil collection, treatment, and processing includes filtration and pretreatment, esterification, neutralization, separation, decolorization and purification, water and acid removal, and distillation. , refining and other processes, where impurities and water in the oil are separated by heating and then allowing sedimentation, 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 deacidification, distillation, and refining. Impurities and water in the oil are separated by heating followed by sedimentation, and glycerol is 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