Even the most common raw materials can hide great potential.
How many times after frying something have you emptied the pan full of oil, which is definitely too dark and opaque to be reused?
Perhaps, rather casually, you poured it down the sink or a drain and let this organic matter dissipate.
Well, you made a mistake.
That oil can become a raw material in the chemical industry.
It is about circular economy.
A waste can be transformed into a renewable, versatile and available raw material at low cost: it can finally replace the increasingly scarce and environmentally damaging fossil sources.
You should know that the composition of vegetable oils (which we chemists call triglycerides) allows for multiple transformations by which substances useful in daily life can be produced.
This is with a reduced environmental impact compared to traditional oil-based production.
No, it is not pure fantasy: this solution is the result of ongoing research in which chemists around the world, including those at Isuschem, are engaged.
There are several ways to treat vegetable oils: let’s discover them together.
First treatment.
A used oil is brought to the biorefinery and treated with a mild alcohol (e.g., methanol) that converts it into biodiesel and glycerol.
What are they?
Biodiesel is a diesel engine fuel made from renewable sources such as rapeseed or sunflower vegetable oils.
It releases lower emissions than conventional diesel from petroleum.
Glycerol is a chemical compound used in both clinical and sports settings for its osmotic properties.
Second treatment.
A used oil is brought to the biorefinery and can undergo oxidation, from which certain substances can be produced.
The nature of these substances makes it possible to produce highly biodegradable bioplastics-a practical solution to combat too much plastic dispersed in the environment that is difficult to dispose of.
Third treatment.
Finally, other raw materials that currently have little application and no added value are also obtained from the previous process: a used oil can be brought to the biorefinery and be processed to produce solvents-this is where Isuschem comes in.
Our innovative bio-ingredients can be used by industries to produce multiple everyday products:
- Offset printing inks for food packaging
- industrial printing machine cleaners
- starting base for wood and ceramic paints
- cosmetics for face and hair
- sunscreens.
Our discoveries in the laboratory can finally be applied in the world of industry.
Well, yes: a simple sunflower oil used for frying can become a high-value bio-ingredient.
Our secret?
Identify the right transformation, the correct ingredients and methods to make it happen.
Now that you know how important these oils are to us, we are sure you will dispose of them in a container at one of the collection centers in your municipality.
A civic gesture that is both simple and can make a huge contribution to the environment and science.