An electrochemical process developed by scientists at a Loughborough University spin-out company in the UK has enabled biodiesel producers to turn waste into profit – while slashing emissions and energy use.
The R3V Tech team, headed by chemistry experts Dr Adriano Randi and Professor Benjamin Buckley, have developed a process that converts crude glycerol – a low-value byproduct of the biodiesel industry – into a high-value bio-derived solvent as a fuel additive.
The company is currently scaling its laboratory-based process from gram-scale experiments to kilogram-per hour production and it has recently been awarded an Innovate UK grant to build and trial a pilot demonstrator at a biodiesel plant. “I saw this project as a big opportunity to work on something that can make a difference to the planet, the environment and society,” said Dr Randi, CEO and co-founder of R3V Tech.
“I’d like to see every biodiesel company using this process one day and to leave behind a legacy that helps the next generation.”
What currently happens to crude glycerol
For every tonne of biodiesel that is produced, around 100 kilograms of crude glycerol is generated.
As it is...
Producers turn waste into profit
