The Effects of Space Time Upon the Supercritical Water Reformation of Glycerol

Glycerol is a less desirable byproduct formed in the production of biodiesel via transesterification of triglycerides and presents a nontrivial issue in terms of developing other beneficial end uses. Supercritical water reformation of glycerol presents a unique non-catalytic means of converting unwanted glycerol into hydrogen for use in energy and transportation applications, hence increasing the amount of usable transportation fuel that may be produced from triglycerides in biodiesel production. An experimental study of the supercritical water reformation of glycerol was conducted using a tubular 0.4-L Haynes® Alloy 230 reactor at a constant pressure of 22.4 MPa. The effect of space time was evaluated for the non-catalytic reformation of glycerol in supercritical water. The space time was varied between 30 and 160 seconds with temperatures ranging from 500 to 600° C and water-to-glycerol molar ratios ranging from 13.5:1 to 24:1