UK researchers use glycerol to make renewable hydrogen and propane

In the UK, Oils & Fats International reported that a research team at Aston University, UK,have developed a process to produce renewable hydrogen and propane from glycerol.

Glycerol or glycerine is produced mainly from fats and oils via hydrolysis in traditional soap-making, or transesterification for biodiesel production, and is often used in health and beauty products, according to the report.

The HYDROGAS project explored glycerol’s potential as a raw material to make hydrogen and propane, led byJude Onwudili from Aston University’s Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute.

With crude glycerol from biodiesel production plants available in large volumes and at low cost, the research could benefit the environment and reduce reliance on fuel imports, Onwudili said.

“Our approach was to use part of the glycerol itself, to produce the hydrogen gas required for biopropane production, avoiding the need for it to be added from expensive external sources,” Onwudili said.

HYDROGAS’s first objective of developing a process to generate sufficient hydrogen to convert glycerol to biopropane was successful and its second objective of obtaining high yields of biopropane, was still being investigated, the report added.

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