| dc.description.abstract | This project aimed to extract glycerin from waste cooking oil, a byproduct of biodiesel production. Glycerin, a valuable co-product, possesses diverse applications in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food industries. The project focused on utilizing transesterification, a widely employed biodiesel production method, to simultaneously yield glycerin and biodiesel from waste cooking oil. The process involved reacting waste cooking oil (300 ml) with an alcohol (99% methanol, 50 ml) and a catalyst (sodium hydroxide, 10 ml), resulting in the conversion of triglycerides to biodiesel and crude glycerin. Once the transesterification process was completed, the crude glycerin phase was separated from the biodiesel phase. Various purification techniques, such as neutralization, distillation and drying were assessed to obtain a better quality glycerin. The obtained volume of the glycerin layer was approximately 160 ml and that of biodiesel was approximately 100 ml. The project's significance lied in promoting waste recycling and resource recovery. Characteristics of the recovered glycerin were assessed and compared with those of pure glycerin and these characteristics were both physical and chemical. The physical characteristics were color, density and the chemical characteristics were pH, free fatty acids content, soap content and water content. In conclusion, the "Recovery of Glycerin from waste Cooking Oil via trans esterification method" project strives to establish a viable and environmentally responsible process for glycerin extraction, unlocking new opportunities for waste valorization, industrial sustainability, and a greater future. | en_US |
