1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) was produced by Klebsiella pneumoniae using crude glycerol obtained from biodiesel production. The 1,3-PD concentration of 51.3 g/l(-1) on crude glycerol from alkali-catalyzed methanolysis of soybean oil was comparable to that of 53 g/l(-1) on crude glycerol derived from a lipase-catalyzed process. The productivities of 1.7 g l(-1) h(-1) on crude glycerol were comparable to that of 2 g l(-1) h(-1) on pure glycerol. It could be concluded that the crude glycerol could be directly converted to 1,3-PD without any prior purification.