The purification of crude glycerol from a biodiesel plant using waste used-oil as a raw material was carried out on a laboratory scale by using the combined chemical and physical treatments based upon repeated cycles of acidification to the desired pH within the range of 1-6 using 1.19 M H 2 SO 4 , allowing phase separation and harvesting of the glycerol-rich middle phase followed by neutralization of the harvested glycerol phase with 12.5 M NaOH. Subsequently, the glycerol-enriched fraction was extracted by ethanol. The results indicated that increasing the pH of the acidification step led to an increased yield of the glycerol-rich layer and decreased amount of inorganic salt and free fatty acids phase. Under strong acid conditions, large quantities of fatty acid and salt in the glycerol-enriched fraction were eliminated and, at pH 1, high purity glycerol (~93.34%) with relatively low contaminant levels (0.00045% (w/w) ash and 5.16% (w/w) MONG) was obtained.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.