Patent ID: 8313667

Claim:
A process for producing (1) a deicing and/or anti-icing agent for application to surfaces or liquids, said agent comprising glycerol and salt(s), and (2) an essentially salt-free stream comprising glycerol and optionally water, from a by-product from a base catalyzed triglyeceride transesterification process for the production of monoesters, said by-product comprising glycerol and base catalyst and optionally further comprising water and/or organic compounds other than glycerol; said process comprising; i) adding an acid to said by-product to neutralize said by-product to reduce pH and at least partially convert said base catalyst to salt(s) and ii) separating a part of said glycerol from said salt to produce (a) an essentially salt-free stream comprising glycerol and optionally water, and (b) an impure stream comprising the balance of said glycerol, together with substantially all of said salt(s), and optionally said organic compounds other than glycerol; and iii) recovering at least a portion of said impure stream for use as a component of said deicing and/or anti-icing agent comprising glycerol and salt; and, optionally iv) adding to said deicing and/or anti-icing agent one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of water, organic acid salts, inorganic acid salts, hydroxyl-containing organic compounds, buffering agents and corrosion inhibitors.