Propylene Glycol

Green Chemistry & Sustainability

To produce our Propylene Glycol, ADM uses plant-based Glycerol, a co-product in the production of biodiesel. Propylene glycol feedstock is purified using our expertise in separation technology to yield either industrial-grade or USP-specification-grade.

ADM has estimated the life cycle greenhouse gas emission (GHG) impact for production of plant-based propylene glycol from soybean-derived and canola-derived glycerol. When comparing the plant-based process to the petroleum route, we found that our process has a 61% reduction in GHG emissions.

ADM's applies plant-based Glycerol as the feedstock for producing Propylene Glycol creating a fully plant-based product that can possibly help customers differentiate their formulated products in the marketplace and help them develop products that will meet the standards of the USDA Bio-Preferred purchasing programs.

Advantages of Bio-Based Propylene Glycol

• Glycerin and Propylene Glycol meet ASTM standard for 100% bio-based carbon content
• Meets U.S. government bio-preferred specifications for ingredients
• Reduces dependency on petrochemical feedstocks

Manufacturing Capabilities

ADM manages the sourcing of the raw materials through our logistics network to maintain both plant-based and kosher integrity. ADM’s renewable propylene glycol is primarily derived from soybeans and canola. Soybean or canola seeds are processed through a crushing, dehulling, conditioning, flaking and extraction operation into a crude vegetable oil. This vegetable oil is further processed into refined oil.

The refined oil is then transformed through a transesterification process into crude biodiesel and crude glycerin. The crude glycerin is further processed through several evaporation and distillation steps into a refined, kosher USP-specification-grade Glycerin. This Glycerin is either sold into the market or processed into Propylene Glycol using ADM’s proprietary technology.