Glycerine: Feedstocks
A product with no feedstock of its own
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Glycerine has no feedstock of its own: it is a share of the oil going into biodiesel and oleochemicals. Its cost is the refining cost plus the value forgone by not burning or feeding the crude. Prices are therefore set by the balance between biofuel output and consumer, pharma and chemical demand.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO Palm oil | about 10 t oil processed per t glycerol (indicative) | main source in Indonesia and Malaysia | allocated co-product value (indicative) | indicative |
| Soy Soybeans | about 10 t per t | main source in Brazil, Argentina and the US | allocated co-product value (indicative) | indicative |
| Rs Rapeseed | about 10 t per t | main EU source | allocated co-product value (indicative) | indicative |
| Steam, power and activated carbon (refining) | about 2-3 t steam per t refined (indicative) | distillation and bleaching | most of the refining cost (indicative) | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Integrated Indonesian and Malaysian refiners with their own crude are cheapest and supply the world's refined market; the Indonesian crude export levy (10% from 1 March 2026) encourages local refining. European and US refiners buy crude from local biodiesel plants.
Raw materials on the commodity table
PO Palm oilSoy SoybeansWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| EPX Epoxy resins | via epichlorohydrin made from glycerine |
| PU Polyurethanes (MDI, TDI, polyols) | glycerine-started polyether polyols |
| Pnt Paints and coatings | alkyd resins |
| Exc Pharmaceutical excipients | USP glycerine |
| Fd Food and feed additives | E422 |