Glycerol as a platform chemical: Sweet opportunities on the horizon?

Increased global production of biodiesel since the late‐1990s has created an abundance of crude glycerin that has significantly impacted the glycerin market resulting in a decline in glycerin pricing. Because the economic viability of the biodiesel and oleochemical industries are closely linked to glycerol, the deterioration of glycerol prices negatively affects the cost of materials derived from these industries. Although glycerol has many commercial uses, these markets are generally considered mature making it difficult to absorb the glycerin surpluses. The increasing abundance of glycerin, its renewability, and attractive pricing make glycerol (80% crude glycerin spot price December 2005; US $ = 0.12/lb ($264/tonne), Euro = 140/tonne) an appealing platform chemical to derive a family of commercially valued compounds. To this end, new chemistry to convert glycerol into high volume value‐added products is being developed. This article gives a brief historical background of glycerol and examines recent technological developments to exploit glycerol as a versatile primary chemical building block in an effort to expand glycerol applications and utilize surplus stockpiles of glycerin.