Effects of Molar Ratio and Hardness of Glyptal, the Value-Added Product of the Production of Biofuels
by Momoka Kobayashi
Category: STEM
Abstract – The overreliance and harmful environmental effects of the use of fossil fuels as an energy source have led to research into alternative sources. One such alternative energy source is biodiesel, which is a carbon neutral fuel. However, due to its high cost of production, there is a lack of incentive to use this source. This paper focused on the byproduct of the production of biodiesel, glycerol and its ability to form value-added products which can then be used to lower the costs of biodiesel. Glyptal is a commonly used coating resin which can be formed with glycerol, phthalic anhydride, and sodium acetate. By changing the molar ratio of glycerol to phthalic anhydride (1:0.5, 1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2.0, 1:2.5) in the method of its synthesis, it was found that reaction mixtures with more phthalic anhydride resulted in the formation of harder resins, measured by a Shore D durometer test.