Glycerin is a by-product of making bio-diesel fuel. This process produces significant quantities of glycerin that require disposal. There are many ways to do this, including making soap or compressing it into logs for heating. It can also be burned in purpose-built burners or sold to waste recycling companies. Another alternative is to use it to increase the rate of decomposition of compost. If you already have a compost heap and you need to dispose of glycerin, combine both needs to speed up decomposition, and you will always have a ready supply of topsoil to nourish your plants and vegetables
Step 1
Fill a wheelbarrow with straw. Lightly crush loose leaves and twigs with your hands, drop them into the wheelbarrow, and then mix all this dry material together with a garden fork or, if you prefer, just with your hands.
Step 2
Pour the glycerin into the wheelbarrow and mix with the garden fork until all the dry material is coated with glycerin. Empty the contents of the wheelbarrow onto the existing compost heap.
Step 3
Mix the glycerin-soaked material thoroughly through the existing compost by turning it several times with a pitchfork or shovel. It is important to lift the material up and turn it over to aerate it, as it is the interaction of oxygen with the other materials that causes them to decompose.
Step 4
Turn the compost over in the same manner every two weeks for 12 weeks, adding more plant and vegetable material to it each time. Remember to lift the material when you turn it to allow oxygen to penetration to the center of the heap.
Step 5
Repeat steps 1 to 4 to start another compost heap, leaving the first one to decompose over a 12- to 14-week period. Starting one heap before the preceding one is used on the garden will provide a ready supply of nutrient-rich soil.
Step 6
Shovel the completely decomposed compost onto existing garden beds, spreading it lightly around the plants, or dig it into fresh soil to create new garden beds.
