This colourless and odorless, sweet-tasting viscous liquid and it is hygroscopic.
End-use applications for Glycerine include pharmaceutical applications, food and beverage ingredient, sweetener, Personal care items such as tooth pastes, cosmetics, soaps, polyether polyols, alkyd resins, explosives, humectants, coatings, Pet foods, lubricants, flexible foams, solid fuel, de-/anti-icers, paints, textiles, surface coating, paper and printing industry, plastics, daily chemicals, agricultural, toiletries, tobacco, rubber, lubricants , PU Forms, as good additive and many more industries.
Pharmaceutical & Drug
- Used in medical and pharmaceutical preparations, mainly as a means of improving smoothness, provide lubrication and humectants
- Suppositories, cough syrups, elixirs and expectorants
Personal Care & Cosmetics
- Serves as an emollient, humectants, solvent, and lubricant in personal care products.
- Competes with sorbitol although glycerol has better taste and higher solubility.
- Toothpaste, mouthwashes, skin care products, shaving cream, hair care products and soaps.
Food and Beverages
- Serves as humectant, solvent and sweetener, may help preserve foods
- Solvent for flavours and food colouring
- Humectant and softening agent in candy, cakes and casings for meats and cheeses
- Manufacture of mono- and di-glycerides for use as emulsifiers
- Used in manufacture of polyglycerol esters going into shortenings and margarine
- Used as filler in low-fat food products (i.e., cookies)
Polyether Polyols
- One of the major raw materials for the manufacture of polios for flexible foams, and to a lesser extent rigid polyurethane foams
- Glycerol is the initiator to which propylene oxide/ethylene oxide is added
Alkyed Resins ( Plastics ) and Cellophane
- Used in surface coatings and paints
- Used as a softener and plasticizer to impart flexibility, pliability and toughness
- Uses include meat casings, collagen casings (medical applications)and nonmeat packaging
- Plasticizer in cellophane.
Explosives
- Used in the production of TNT (trinitroglycerine)
- Glyceryl triacetate is a component in binders in the production of solid fuel rockets
Other
- Manufacture of paper as a plasticizer, humectants and lubricant
- Humectants for pet foods to retain moisture and enhance palatability
- Used in lubricating, sizing and softening of yarn and fabric
- Used in de-/anti-icing fluids
- Patent applications have been filed for detergent softeners and surfactants based on glycerine (i.e., alkyl
glyceryl ethers) instead of quaternary ammonium compounds
