Abstract:
Biodiesel has become in one of the most employed sustainable and renewable fuels in the XXI century, since can be produced from many vegetal oils or animal greases. Nevertheless, one of the highest inconvenient is that glycerol is produced as a by-product in around 10% in weight of biodiesel obtained. The consequence is that glycerol market has an overproduction which cannot be used in the chemical industry, promoting an environmental problem for its disposal. Nevertheless, in the lasts decades many researches have been conducted in order to give a value added to this biodiesel by-product through its use as raw material of multiple valuable chemical products as well as its use in energy alternatives. This paper makes a review of the concepts of biodiesel and glycerol as well as the new different chemical and biochemical alternatives of glycerol employment which can diminish the actual high cost of biodiesel production. |
