Glycerine

Glycerine is the 10% by-product of biodiesel and fat splitting, refined for personal care, pharma, food and resins; about 5-6 Mt a year.

Bio-based chemicals · Oleochemicals · No. 108

• Single chemical
• Feedstock: Crops and biomass
• about 5-6 Mt a year of pure glycerol equivalent (indicative, basis: about 0.1 t per t of 45-50 Mt FAME plus about 1 Mt from fat splitting and fatty alcohols)
• 1.1 t CO₂e per t
• HS 290545, 152000

Nobody sets out to make glycerine: it simply falls out whenever fat becomes biodiesel or soap.

Chart: Illustration: Glycerine

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Every fat molecule has a glycerine backbone, released at about 0.1 t per tonne when oil becomes biodiesel or fatty acids.

Three things to know

1. Biodiesel supplies about three-quarters of the world's glycerine, so fuel mandates, not toothpaste demand, decide supply.
2. In March 2026, US refined glycerine fetched $1,279-1,477 a tonne while crude sold for just $419-551.
3. India imported 128 kt of crude glycerine in 2024, making it the fourth-largest importer.

The journey

1. 1 Oils and fatsPalm, soy, rapeseed, tallow, used cooking oil
2. 2 Biodiesel or splittingAbout 0.1 t glycerol per tonne
3. 3 Crude glycerineAbout 80% pure, with salts and methanol
4. 4 RefiningDistilled and bleached to 99.5-99.7%
5. 5 UsersToothpaste, medicines, food, resins, chemicals

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