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Glycerol as a Green Solvent **Most reactions in today's chemical industry occur in the liquid phase. The use of a solvent not only allows for a medium in which this reaction can take place, but also stabilizes intermediates and/or transition states. **


 * For more information see: "What is a Solvent?" **

**Since solvents are so abundantly used, the recent focus of Green Chemistry has triggered a search for solvents that have less impact of the environment.** **The design of a chemical process and selection of a solvent must take into consideration both the chemical factors (such as thermodynamics and kinetics of reaction) and non-chemical factors (environmental impacts, energy requirements, etc). **


 * For more information about the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, click here "Green Chemistry" **

**To learn about what makes a solvent green, see: What Makes a Green Solvent?**
 * The criteria that qualify a potential new solvent as green have been narrowed down to specific factors. **

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 * Keeping these factors in mind, some new solvents are being developed but there is also consideration being given to common substances that already exist.**


 * The recent focus on the growing bio-diesel industry has resulted in a large surplus of glycerol.** **Glycerol already has many uses in the food, cosmetic and hygiene industry but an excess still exists. The potential to use glycerol as a solvent has even more appeal because it is recycling unused by-products of an already established process.**


 * For more information about glycerol production, follow the link to "How Glycerol is Made"**




 * There are a number of properties of glycerol that give evidence to support that glycerol is in fact a Green Solvent.**
 * To find out what these factors are, click "What Makes Glycerol Green?"**


 * It is not only enough for a solvent to be green, it also must be a good solvent in order to be considered a viable replacement** **of other solvents commonly used in in****dustrial applications.**
 * The properties that make glycerol a good solvent, are outlined in "Properties of Glycerol as a Solvent"**


 * Now that we know about glycerol, what im pact does this have on our every day lives? The above properties are promising, but we must now identify exactly how glycerol can be used in chemical industry.**
 * Click here to explore just a few of the uses for: " ** Glycerol as a Solvent in Current Industry **"**

**The information contained w****ithin this wiki page shows just how GLYCEROL has great promise t****o be a GREEN solvent of the future. The examples given show how glycerol, which is abundant from the biodiesel industry, is a green and effective solvent.**