Glycerin from biodiesel: the power angle

In Brazil, testing at Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC) of USP has begun on the production of methane gas from treated glycerin as a possible feedstock for electricity generation. The glycerin, which is full of impurities, is processed with an anaerobic reactor, leaving the resulting energy as a way to add value to the biodiesel byproduct.

Using the process at lab scale, as much as 90% of the glycerin can be transformed into methane. To scale up to commercial production would require investment of $2.65 million with a return on investment expected between one and five years, depending on the local electricity tariff.