Glycerine has accompanied the chemistry of fats and oils “forever”. When left in the soap making process, glycerine improved soap solubility in water and gave the soap a soft and gentle touch. Completely separated and highly purified, it was a chemical speciality, e.g. for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, and for nitro varnishes and nitrocellulose explosives. With the advent of biodiesel based on vegetable oils transesterified into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), glycerol became a commodity for industrial applications as humectant and antifreeze, and as intermediate for functional chemicals.