Benefuel’s ENSEL™ process for transesterifying triglycerides produces the highest quality, by-product glycerin in the biodiesel market. The ENSEL catalyst does not leach minerals into the glycerin phase and no water is required to process the effluent from the continuous flow reactors. After removing methanol, the glycerin and biodiesel separate naturally.

The purity of ENSEL glycerin normally ranges consistently between 97.0-99.9%, depending upon the fatty acid content of the triglyceride feedstock.

At this level of purity, glycerin from the ENSEL process is available directly for several further processing steps:

• Distillative purification to the highest USP grades,
• Alkylation with solid catalysts to alkyl-polyethers,
• Conversion to propylenediols, epichlorohydrin et al.
• Sales to other markets require technical grade glycerin with low level of impurities.

With the recent rise in biodiesel production, the glycerin market has become saturated with large volumes of off-grade glycerin, requiring refinement, in almost every case, prior to any further processing of the glycerin. Combined with current stable demand for glycerin, the oversupply has roiled the global market and created significant volatility in glycerin prices in all grade categories.

However, the low prices have offered opportunities to develop new industrial materials from glycerin. Moreover, the price volatility brought on by the rise in biodiesel production has also caused a bottle-neck in the glycerin refining sector and, as recently reported by Soyatech, prices for refined glycerin have risen and stabilized in the high 40 cents per pound range.

Glycerin’s traditional markets have been in foods, pharmaceuticals, personal care and cosmetics, which demand USP grades, and paints and coatings, which can utilize technical grades. The future may find growth in the chemical intermediates and fuel/lubricants additives markets.

Owing to its high purity, ENSEL glycerin is well placed to participate in today’s glycerin market. It can be refined by short path distillation, since it has very low volatiles content (namely traces of water) or be used directly in value-added processes making new derivatives. The abundance of future glycerin supplies from biodiesel and the USDA-Foreign Agriculture Service forecasting in June 07 that glycerin from biodiesel production by 2010 will increase over 167% from 2006 suggests that ENSEL glycerin will enjoy high market demand for its inherent purity.