Farm products giant Cargill Inc. is taking a big step into the worlds glycerin market, with plans to open three plants in Europe and North America by August. The company says the refined plant oils can be used in water-based hydraulic fluids, among other applications.
Late last month the company announced that a June opening is scheduled for a plant in Iowa Falls, Iowa, with capacity to make 30 million pounds per year of U.S. pharmocopeia (USP) grade glycerin. A plant in Salzgitter, Germany, opened a few weeks ago, and another is slated to open in Frankfurt, Germany, in August.
Glycerin is a neutral, colorless, sweet-tasting thick liquid with a wide range of applications such as skin moisturizers, softening agents in candy, and as an antifreeze component in paints and hydraulic equipment. A spokesman said Cargill expects a significant portion of its product to go to industrial applications, and it is working with potential customers to develop lubricant applications in addition to hydraulic fluids.
The Iowa Falls plant will refine crude glycerin produced by a biodiesel plant that is being built at the same location and scheduled to open in April or May. Those facilities will use oil from soy beans that are crushed on-site.
We will be the first North American producer to combine soybean crushing, biodiesel production and USP glycerine production at one plant site, said Kurtis Miller, president of Cargill Industrial Oils and Lubricants. This complete backward integration will enable us to deliver a stable, consistent quality product affordably and reliably to customers around the world.
The German plants will produce glycerin from rapeseed oil.