Refined Glycerine 99.7% Min USP 43

Brief Overview

Refined glycerine, occasionally referred to as glycerol or glycerin, is a basic sugar alcohol featuring three hydroxyl groups, contributing to its water solubility and hygroscopic nature. With a high boiling point and viscosity, this substance manifests as a clear, odorless, and transparent liquid, highlighting its inherent sweetness and minimal toxicity. Its boiling point is 290°C, while its normal melting point is 17.8°C. The density of refined glycerine is 1.26 g/cm³. Derived from petrochemical feedstock, it finds application in the food, medicine, cosmetics, personal care, and biodiesel production sectors, among others.

Manufacturing Process

Threshing
The primary stem and the spikelets attached to the fruit are removed during the threshing process of palm fruit harvested from the fields.

Sterilisation
The fruit of the palm tree is sterilized. Steam sterilization is the method used to treat the fruit. The purpose of the high temperature treatment is to stop the oxidation of the oil and hydrolysis of the oil splitting enzymes. Furthermore, the fruit's internal moisture might expand due to the steam application. The enhanced moisture facilitates the easy separation of the fruit's walls from the kernel, gum, and resin.

Digestion
Mixing and smashing the sterilized palm fruits aids in their digestion. The fruit is mechanically mixed under high temperatures using a revolving shift. when the pulp from the palm fruit is broken down. To extract the necessary palm oil, the fruit's cells are also broken down. Because of the oil's low viscosity at high temperatures, heat is supplied to the digester to facilitate smoother mixing.

Pressing
To obtain palm oil, the processed palm fruit is pressed. The palm fruit is kept under pressure in a sturdy metal cage by use of a sizable hydraulic machine. Palm oil is released from the material and collected for additional processing when pressure is applied to the pulp.

Oil clarification
Following extraction, the palm oil is subjected to additional processing steps that involve purification. Hot water is added to the oil while there is still moisture, fibrous material, and cell debris present. Large particles might trickle down from the oil phase thanks to the additional water. The water's high temperature promotes the dissolution of the oil and water emulsion. The mixture is then filtered to get rid of any leftover particulates. In order to gather the necessary palm oil for processing and storage, the water and oil layer is finally separated and decanted.

Deacidification
For the deacidification procedure to eliminate free fatty acids from palm oil, solvent extraction is necessary. Methanol and palm oil are combined by stirring. Instead of dissolving in palm oil, the free fatty acid will preferentially dissolve in methanol, which will lower the concentration. Free fatty acid must be eliminated from the oil in order to extend its shelf life and facilitate refining, as it is the source of the oil's oxidation and disagreeable smell. 

Saponification and transeferication
Under high pressure and temperature, a hydrolysis reaction breaks down the deacidified palm oil. Triglyceride chains are broken down into fatty acid chains and glycerol/glycerine chains using water in the process. Glycerine is now ready for extraction, but before it can be referred to as refined glycerine, it must undergo more refinement.

Glycerin pre-treatment
A number of separation procedures are used to further purify the glycerine and chain of fatty acid combination. To extract the necessary glycerine from the fatty acids, the oil combination is distilled. To encourage glycerol and fatty acid evaporation, the distillation column is heated. Because glycerine has a lower boiling point than fatty acid chains, it will evaporate more easily at certain temperatures while the latter will stay liquid.

Evaporation
Since the residual methanol from the deacidification process has not been eliminated, the extracted mixture of glycerine is not completely refined; consequently, evaporating the methanol from the glycerine is necessary to obtain a readily refined glycerine.

APPLICATION

Pharmaceuticals Industry
Many industries utilize glycerine as a raw ingredient for medicinal products. The chemical component has been used in anesthetics, suppositories, cough medicines, and heart medication. Furthermore, glycerine contains laxative qualities that help food that has been digested move more easily down the stomach's lining.

Cosmetic Industry
Glycerine holds onto water in cosmetics to preserve its creaminess, smoothness, and shelf life. Because glycerin has a low vapor pressure, it may stay in the environment even while moisture is constantly released.

Food Industry
Glycerine drinks are used in athletics to aid athletes' water hydration during activity. Additionally, its primary application is as a raw component for sweetening.

Industrial Applications
Recent studies have looked at glycerine as a potential intermediate product for gasoline additives. Fuel additives that are derivatives of oxygenated glycerin are used to reduce hazardous emissions. Conversely, glycerine's lubricating qualities are employed to improve machinery efficiency and lower friction. The decrease in friction permits heat to escape and keeps equipment from overheating. Another justification for glycerin's usage as a chemical intermediate and in industrial applications is its economic feasibility.