The huge demands of biodiesel also result to huge production of glycerol or glycerin as a byproduct. While a small percentage of this bulk gets into commercial manufacturers when refined, much of it gets wasted since refining methods are costly. This waste problem is becoming an issue among biodiesel producers. Research has been conducted recently to explore other possible uses of the chemical. It may be used in agriculture and livestock as an alternative source of energy.
There is an observed increase in prices of animal feeds and as a result livestock farmers are looking into possible alternative feeds that are less expensive. Lots of pork producers are turning into byproducts generated by manufacture of bio-fuels as source of alternative animal feed. Ethanol is one of these byproducts. Nonetheless, alternative sources do not only rely on ethanol. Since there is a huge production of biodiesel, there is also a huge production of glycerol, the byproduct of biodiesel production. This huge availability of what had to be wasted biodiesel byproduct is now being utilized in livestock as an alternative energy source.
The industrial production of biodiesel involves 100 pounds of fat or oil, which is mixed with 10 pounds of methanol. This yields 100 pounds of biodiesel. The other ten pounds is crude glycerol. Annually there could be several millions of tons of biodiesel produced and this would result to several hundreds of thousands of tons of crude glycerin. Some of this is refined to be incorporated in products such as cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations which are used by humans. However, a larger proportion of this bulk of glycerin cannot be made pure enough to pass as products for human consumption and use. Thus, the remaining larger percentage of this derivative will have to be used in other applications. Now researchers are testing the chemical if it can be actually used as a feed or at least an energy substitute for pigs and cows.
Corn is the usual energy source used by livestock growers. However, in the light of discovering the prospective advantage of glycerol, which rises as a potential alternative that is way cheaper, livestock owners are slowly turning to this option. Recently, several research studies that were conducted show that the substance coming from biodiesel yields an amount of energy that is actually equal to that of corn. In relation to this, humans have been consuming the compound since its incorporation in food and drugs. According to studies, the presence of the compound in the human body has benefits as water retention, thus, preventing dehydration. It also increases the blood fluid volume while decreasing heart rate at the same time. It also enhances the body’s ability to regulate temperature, hence, lessening the chances of heat exhaustion and heat stroke during strenuous activities in hot environments. It also delays loss of fluid through urination.
This water-retaining advantage can be seen in pigs that have been fed with minimal amounts of glycerin. Pork meat that came from pigs fed with minimal amounts of the compound resists too much water or moisture loss during cooking. This means that it improves the quality of meat upon harvest.
Biochemists classify the compound as a sugar alcohol and it belongs under the class of carbohydrates, although some experts suggest that it should not be placed under such classification because it is not quite similar to any carbohydrate when it comes to function. However, in the body of animals, including humans, glycerin can actually become a precursor to glucose. But there have been debates as to the exact pathway or pathways of the metabolism of this substance. There are four possible pathways, however. It may be physiologically utilized by the animal body to produce glucose and thereby be an energy source; it may be reincorporated into fats when bound to fatty acids – another energy source; it may be used to synthesize phosphoglycerides – a macromolecular component of cell membranes; and it may pass in and out of the body unchanged.
More studies are still being conducted to test the efficacy of this crude byproduct as a feed. This could be the answer to the increasing price of current animal feeds and increasing waste supply of biodiesel production. Studies may tell the extent to which the chemical offers its advantages and how it is actually metabolized by an animal. As long as it remains safe for consumption, it remains an important chemical, which is now becoming introduced and known in livestock industry.
Author Resource:-
Jo is a writer for ‘ReAgent Chemical Services Ltd’ (http://www.reagent.co.uk), an established UK based chemical producer that produces, stocks and distributes a vast variety of premium chemicals. If your business is looking for premium chemical product for example Glycerol or has other industrial compound requirements then check out ReAgent Chemical Services Ltd.
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