Research yields pricey chemicals from biodiesel waste

In a move that promises to change the economics of biodiesel refining, chemical engineers at Rice University have unveiled a set of techniques for cleanly converting problematic biofuels waste into chemicals that fetch a profit.

The latest research is available online in the journal Metabolic Engineering. The new paper and others published earlier this year describe a new fermentation process that allows E. coli and other enteric bacteria to convert glycerin - the major waste byproduct of biodiesel production - into formate, succinate and other valuable organic acids.

Rice University