Purification of Crude Glycerol from Waste Cooking Oil Based Biodiesel Production by Orthogonal Test Method

Abstract

Purification of original crude glycerol obtained from biodiesel production was conducted in a laboratory scale equipment by means of a combined chemical and physical treatment method based upon repeated cycles of acidification of liquid phase to the desired pH value by using 5.85% H3PO4 solution for pH value adjustment, and the mixture was kept at 70 ℃ for 60 min to make phase separation for obtaining a glycerol-rich middle phase. The yield of crude glycerol reached 81.2%. Subsequently, upon reaction of the obtained glycerol phase with 0.03% of sodium oxalate at 80 ℃ for 30 min the impurity removal rate was equal to 19.8%. The fraction boiling between 164 ℃ and 200 ℃ was collected by vacuum distil- lation followed by decolorization with 2% of active carbon at 80 ℃ for two times to yield the product glycerol with an ac- ceptable purity of 98.10%.