Review of Different Purification Techniques for Crude Glycerol from Biodiesel Production

The global glycerol market has experienced a surplus in recent decades due to an increase in biodiesel production and thus created a new form of challenge in terms of purification of the crude glycerol. Various techniques have been developed worldwide on purification of crude glycerol. These processes include chemical pre-treatment, methanol removal, vacuum distillation, ion exchange, adsorption, solvent extraction and membrane separation technology to mention a few.

In Nigeria, domesticating these technologies or techniques to suit our peculiar situation and also be cost effective needs a critical evaluation of all the available options.

This review, therefore, summarises the progress of crude glycerol purification technologies using various techniques as compared with the process technology developed by researchers at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos Nigeria.