Research of new outlets for glycerol recent developments in France

Competitiveness of biofuels lies in part in the value added by the main sec ondary product: glycerol. Research has been carried out to find new applica tions for glycerol in the fields of polymers, surfactants, and intermediate s. These potential outlets are examined from a technical and an economical point of view. The economical one is the most important, eliminating applic ations that are technically worthwhile; corn gluten feed displacement for i nstance. The remaining potential outlets, like polyglycerols, could develop intensively in the near future. However, the markets concerned for most ap plications would be niches.