Has anyone had much luck finding uses for glycerin? I tried making candles, which do work but produce very little light. I even tried heating Biolab, garage, with a stove I built. That works good until the glycerine boils over. Guess I should use taller container. The longer you heat the glycerin the hard the candle will be. I tried the dunking the wick in the glycerin then in water and repeating trick with not luck.

It's an alcohol ! what you dont drink, use it as a food sweetner.

There are several things you can do with glycerine (or glycerol, as it is more properly called, I hear). It is the most amazing anti-grease cleaner I've ever used. Add a bit of sweet orange essential oil and some pumice, and you've got a cleaner that's so much better than Fast Orange that you can't even imagine it. For instance, my Mercedes 240D has a common Mercedes problem: the rims get all gunky with some type of oil. I don't know if it's brake fluid or some other oil, but it looks nasty. I've tried to get it off with Simple Green, which is commonly regarded as a great cleaner, but it doesn't take it off at all. I put a weak solution of glycerine and water on this oil and it wiped off very easily.

If you use it as a hand cleaner, glycerol and orange oil strips grease, even old engine oil, off your hands like magic. However, it conditions hands and moisturizes and softens them.

Wonderful stuff.

Blane.

In the production of food, glycerine is used as a solvent, a moistening agent (for example, in baked goods), and an ingredient in syrups. In flavoring and coloring, glycerol acts as a solvent and its viscosity lends body to the product. With icings and candies, glycerine prevents crystallization of sugar. It improves the texture and allows the use of less sugar, in ice cream.

Glycerol can be used as a lubricant in situations where an oil would fail. It is recommended for use in oxygen compressors because it is more resistant to oxidation than mineral oils.

Cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical manufacturers may use glycerol instead of oil for a lubricant; especially, when the products come in contact with the lubricant.

In the textile industry, glycerol is commonly used in connection with so called textile oils, in spinning, knitting and weaving operations.

In cosmetics, glycerine is a favorite in keeping the skin soft and is used in body and shaving creams. It is the basic material in which toothpaste is formed and preserves the desired smoothness and viscosity of the paste.

Glycerine is used in cough medicines and anesthetics, for ear treatments, and in bacteriological media.

Glycerine is also used in antifreeze fluids for automatic sprinkler systems, defrosting for glass, de-icing, and in electrolytic fluids for making galvanized cloth and lightning arrestors. It is found in cement compounds, particularly in glycerinlitharge cements for tubs and sinks, valve repair, still and distilling unit repair and anti-acid corrosion, pipe joint cement, furnace cement, and rethreading compounds.

Other uses include embalming fluids, masking and shielding compounds for paint spraying, soldering compounds, high pressure rod packing, lubricants for air brakes, the manufacture of mercury thermometers, engine gauges, electrical equipment, and oil refinery equipment.

Glycerine is found in cleansing materials such as soaps and synthetic detergents. It is used as a wetting agent in emulsifiers, wax emulsions, and skin protectives.

In laboratory and research work glycerine is utilized in the manufacture of reagent chemicals, basic dyes, and miscellaneous chemicals and insecticides; in asphalt compounds, coal-tar thinners, ceramics, photographic products, fire retardants, modeling clay, leather and wood treatments and adhesives.

Glycerine is used as a humectant (a moistening agent), in tobacco products. In processing tobacco, glycerol makes up an important part of the casing solution, which is sprayed onto the tobacco before the leaves are shredded and packed. When processing chewing tobacco, glycerine adds sweetness and prevents dehydration. It is also used as a plasticizer in cigarette papers.

Info thanks to Acme-Hardesty.

Tilly SBC/IBA glycerol div

Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol. The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.

[This message was edited by Tilly on 05 February 2002 at 05:25 AM.]

Tilly,
Lets not forget that it is also used to make nitroglycerin. Both the explosive as well as the heart medication. Joe.

Something has just reminded me it is a purgative too.

Tilly SBC/IBA geritol div

Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark. Noah built an ark, which the animals came on to in pears.

Tilly,
You must have the most well informed students in all of OZ, er I mean pair-a-dice. I'm not sure whether to envy or pity them.

Wally II Ed. dept.

Yes, there is more to being a teacher than just teaching the kids how to play the "1812 0verature".

There is a whole exciting world out there and as we have just learned it is surrounded by spaceships in the fifth dimension.

Tilly SBC/IBA Vibratin' an" prayin" div

And Jesus said unto them, "And whom do you say that I am?" They replied,"You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the ontological foundation of the context of our very selfhood revealed." And Jesus replied, "What?"

"If you use it as a hand cleaner, glycerol and orange oil strips grease, even old engine oil, off your hands like magic. However, it conditions hands and moisturizes and softens them."


If you're going to use the gylcerine as a hand cleaner then make sure you remove the methanol first - it's toxic and is easily absorbed through the skin.

Dear all
Anybody has recipes for making candle from glycerine byproduct?
Thanks & regards

I like to make the sawdust/glycerine logs to burn in the woodburner, for me it's the easiest way to get rid of the stuff, after distilling the methanol of course.

Glycerine candles are possibly a bad idea because of the poison. Glyc boils at about 300C, and dissociates about 10C higher. The products of dissociation include the infamous acrolein gas. This burns at 600C to give harmless combustion products. Trouble is that a candle flame does not ensure all gas gets to the safe temperature with enough O2 to make it safe.
6 years ago I tried making wick burners for glyc by-product. After the methanol has gone, the remaining fluid does not climb the wick very well, and the smoke made me feel not very well either.

Thanks David L. Teal for your share experiences. So, could kindly advise me the best way to treat glycerol byproduct effectively.
Thanks & regards