Glycerochemistry and Glycerol Valorization [Gliceroquímica e Valoriza o do Glicerol]

This paper presents a brief review on the current state of glycerochemistry, the chemistry of glycerol. Glycerol is a side product of the glycerides transesterification to produce biodiesel. Besides the fact on a permanent demand of glycerol in modern society, the income rates imposed by the production of biodiesel could not be absorbed, and the need of converting glycerol into valuable products is one of the technological problems that limit the introduction of biodiesel as an alternative to the petroleum diesel. There is a plethora of chemical conversion alternatives for the valorization of glycerol, however the problem itself is a technological one: the development of economically acceptable industrial technology of valorization.