Biodiesel is a product made from vegetable oil or animal fat that can be used as a replacement for diesel fuel in diesel powered vehicles. The process is a chemical reaction involving alcohol, such as methanol or ethanol, into which is added a catalyst, such as sodium or potassium hydroxide. This mixture is blended into the vegetable oil causing a chemical reaction, called transesterification, which separates the vegetable oil into two components. One component is a heavier liquid called glycerol (also called glycerine).
Glycerol has many food and industrial uses, such as cosmetics, toothpaste, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, plastics, explosives, and cellulose processing to name a few. However, the material obtained from biodiesel production requires purification before it could be used for these purposes. There are products that can be made out of glycerol, most commonly soaps, degreaser, hand cleaners, floor cleaners etc. As long as the methanol has been removed, glycerol can be composted or fed to an anaerobic digester.
Vegetable Oil or Animal Fat (100 kg) + Methanol (10 kg) Glycerine (10 kg) + Biodiesel (100 kg).
