Biodiesel fuel production by the transesterification reaction of soybean oil using immobilized lipase

The enzymatic alcoholysis of soybean oil with methanol and ethanol was investigated using a commercial, immobilized lipase (Lipozyme RMIM). The effect of alcohol (methanol or ethanol), enzyme concentration, molar ratio of alcohol to soybean oil, solvent, and temperature on biodiesel production was determined. The best conditions were obtained in a solvent-free system with ethanol/oil molar ratio of 3.0, temperature of 50 degrees C, and enzyme concentration of 7.0% (w/w). Three-step batch ethanolysis was most effective for the production of biodiesel. Ethyl esters yield was about 60% after 4 h of reaction.     

基于氯化镁饱和溶液中固定化脂肪酶Lipozyme TL IM催化光皮树油脂合成生物柴油

基于氯化镁饱和溶液反应体系中,对采用固定化脂肪酶Lipozyme TL IM催化光皮树油脂转化为生物柴油的工艺进行了研究。考察了固定化脂肪酶Lipozyme TL IM催化光皮树油转酯化的工艺中甲醇的用量、固定化脂肪酶的添加量、摇床的转速和反应时间对生物柴油产率的影响。实验结果表明,采用氯化镁饱和溶液反应体系,在醇油摩尔比为3∶1,固定化酶Lipozyme TL IM用量为光皮树油质量的20%,摇床转速为150 r/min,反应8 h时,生物柴油产率最高,达到86.5%。与传统的三步甲醇醇解或者有机溶剂反应体系比较,采用的氯化镁饱和溶液体系的酶稳定性更好,反应效率更高,有效地解决了酶在甲醇中失活的问题,生产成本低,可成为生产生物柴油的新工艺。     

Enzymatic Biodiesel Synthesis in Semi-Pilot Continuous Process in Near-Critical Carbon Dioxide

A semi-pilot continuous process (SPCP) for enzymatic biodiesel synthesis utilizing near-critical carbon dioxide (NcCO₂) as the reaction medium was developed with the aim of reducing the reaction time and alleviating the catalyst inhibition by methanol. Biodiesel synthesis was evaluated in both lab-scale and semi-pilot scale reactors (batch and continuous reactors). In a SPCP, the highest conversion (～99.9 %) in four and a half hours was observed when three-step substrate (methanol) addition (molar ratio [oil/methanol]?=?1:1.3) was used and the reaction mixture containing enzyme (Lipozyme TL IM, 20 wt.% of oil) was continuously mixed (agitation speed?=?300 rpm) at 30 °C and 100 bar in a CO₂ environment. The biodiesel produced from canola oil conformed to the fuel standard (EU) even without additional downstream processing, other than glycerol separation and drying.     

A kinetic study on lipase-catalyzed interesterification of soybean oil with oleic acid in a continuous packed-bed reactor

To provide a mathematical basis for the design and operation of a continuous, packed-bed reactor for the interesterification of soybean oil, soybean oil that contains 22.7% oleoyl and 54.3% linoleoyl moieties as molar acyl moiety composition was interesterified in hexane with oleic acid, using an immobilized sn-1,3-specific lipase (Lipozyme IM) from Mucor miehei. The reaction was carried out in a U-shaped Pyrex glass-made packed-bed reactor at 37°C in the following system: concentration of soybean oil in the feed stream=12.5 wt%, molar ratio of fatty acid to soybean oil=3.0, and water content in the feed stream=1340–2340 ppm. At these water contents, Lipozyme IM gave practically the same catalytic activity, and the content of triacylglycerols in the product oil was 91–94 wt%. Rate equations for the change in oleoyl and linoleoyl moiety compositions in soybean oil were derived and their validity was confirmed experimentally. On the other hand, the catalytic activity of Lipozyme IM decayed in the first-order fashion. Based on these deactivation kinetics, the flow rate of the feed stream is simulated for the operation of a continuous, packed-bed reactor at 37°C that produces an oil of a fixed composition of oleoyl moiety.     

Biodiesel Synthesis via Esterification of Feedstock with High Content of Free Fatty Acids

The objective of this work was to study the synthesis of ethyl esters via esterification of soybean oil deodorizer distillate with ethanol, using solid acid catalysts and commercial immobilized lipases, in a solvent-free system. Three commercially immobilized lipases were used, namely, Lipozyme RM-IM, Lipozyme TL-IM, and Novozym 435, all from Novozymes. We aimed for optimum reaction parameters: temperature, enzyme concentration, initial amount of ethanol, and its feeding technique to the reactor (stepwise ethanolysis). Reaction was faster with Novozym 435. The highest conversion (83.5%) was obtained after 90 min using 3 wt.% of Novozym 435 and two-stage stepwise addition of ethanol at 50°C. Four catalysts were also tested: zeolite CBV-780, SAPO-34, niobia, and niobic acid. The highest conversion (30%) was obtained at 100°C, with 3 wt.% of CBV-780 after 2.5 h. The effects of zeolite CBV 780 concentration were studied, resulting in a conversion of 49% using 9 wt.% of catalyst.     

Optimization of enzymatic production of biodiesel from castor oil in organic solvent medium

We studied the production of fatty acid ethyl esters from castor oil using n-hexane as solvent and two commercial lipases, Novozym 435 and Lipozyme IM, as catalysts. For this purpose, a Taguchi experimental design was adopted considering the following variables: temperature (35–65°C), water (0–10 wt/wt%), and enzyme (5–20 wt/wt%) concentrations and oil-to-ethanol molar ratio (1∶3 to 1∶10). An empirical model was then built so as to assess the main and cross-variable effects on the reaction conversion and also to maximize biodiesel production for each enzyme. For the system containing Novozym 435 as tatalyst the maximum conversion obtained was 81.4% at 65°C, enzyme concentration of 20 wt/wt%, water concentration of 0 wt/wt%, and oil-to-ethanol molar ratio of 1∶10. When the catalyst was Lipozyme IM, a conversion as high as 98% was obtained at 65°C, enzyme concentration of 20 wt/wt%, water concentration of 0 wt/wt%, and oil-to-ethanol molar ratio of 1∶3.     

Enzymatic synthesis of monolaurin

The aim of this study was to produce monolaurin utilizing a commercial immobilized lipase (Lipozyme IM-20; Novo Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark) through the direct esterification of lauric acid and glycerol in a solvent-free system. The influence of fatty acid/glycerol molar ratio, temperature, and Lipozyme (IM-20) concentration on the molar fraction of monolaurin were determined using an experimental design. The best conditions employed were 55°C, lauric acid/glycerol molar ratio of 1.0, and 3.0% (w/w) enzyme concentration. The final product, obtained after 6 h of reaction, was 45.5% monolaurin, 26.8% dilaurin, 3.1% trilaurin, and 24.6% lauric acid. The reusability of the enzyme was also studied.     

Kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed alcoholysis of soybean oil in n-hexane

This work investigated the production of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) from soybean oil using n-hexane as solvent and two commercial lipases as catalysts, Novozym 435 and Lipozyme IM. A Taguchi experimental design was adopted considering the variables temperature (35–65°C), addition of water (0–10 wt/wt%), enzyme (5–20 wt/wt%) concentration, and oil-to-ethanol molar ratio (1:3–1:10). It is shown that complete conversion in FAEE is achieved for some experimental conditions. The effects of process variables on reaction conversion and kinetics of the enzymatic reactions are presented for all experimental conditions investigated in the factorial design.     

Study of immobilized candida rugosa lipase for biodiesel fuel production from palm oil by flow microcalorimetry

Enzymatic transesterification of palm oil with methanol and ethanol was studied. Of the four lipases that were tested in the initial screening, lipase Candida Rugosa (CR) resulted in the highest yield of mono alkyl esters. Lipase CR was further investigated in immobilized form within an activated carbon as support. The activated carbon was prepared by activation physical. Using the immobilized lipase CR, the effects of water and alcohol concentration, enzyme loading and enzyme thermal stability in the transesterification reaction were investigated. The optimal conditions for processing 50 g of palm oil were: 37 °C, 1:14.5 oil/methanol molar ratio, 1.0 g water and 500 mg lipase for the reactions with methanol, 35 °C, 1:15.0 oil/ethanol molar ratio, 1.0 g water, 500 mg lipase for the reactions with ethanol, and 35 °C, 1:10.0 oil/n-butanol molar ratio, 1.0 g water, 500 mg lipase for the reactions with ethanol. Subject to the optimal conditions, methyl and ethyl esters formation of 70 and 85 mol% in 1 h of reaction were obtained for the immobilized enzyme reactions. The flow microcalorimetry is an important and novel techniques is used in evaluation of biodiesel production.     

Production of FAME and FAEE via Alcoholysis of Sunflower Oil by Eversa Lipases Immobilized on Hydrophobic Supports

The performance of two new commercial low-cost lipases Eversa® Transform and Eversa® Transform 2.0 immobilized in different supports was investigated. The two lipases were adsorbed on four different hydrophobic supports. Interesting results were obtained for both lipases and for the four supports. However, the most active derivative was prepared by immobilization of Eversa® Transform 2.0 on Sepabeads C-18. Ninety-nine percent of fatty acid ethyl ester was obtained, in 3 h at 40 °C, by using hexane as solvent, a molar ratio of 4:1 (ethanol/oil), and 10 wt% of immobilized biocatalyst. The final reaction mixture contained traces of monoacylglycerols but was completely free of diacylglycerols. After four reaction cycles, the immobilized biocatalyst preserved 75% of activity. Both lipases immobilized in Sepabeads C-18 were very active with ethanol and methanol as acceptors, but they were much more stable in the presence of ethanol.     

13C NMR quantification of mono and diacylglycerols obtained through the solvent‐free lipase‐catalyzed esterification of saturated fatty acids

In the present investigation, we studied the enzymatic synthesis of monoacylglycerols (MAG) and diacylglycerols (DAG) via the esterification of saturated fatty acids (stearic, palmitic and an industrial residue containing 87% palmitic acid) and glycerol in a solvent‐free system. Three immobilized lipases (Lipozyme RM IM, Lipozyme TL IM and Novozym 435) and different reaction conditions were evaluated. Under the optimal reaction conditions, esterifications catalyzed by Lipozyme RM IM resulted in a mixture of MAG and DAG at high conversion rates for all of the substrates. In addition, except for the reaction of industrial residue at atmospheric pressure, all of these products met the World Health Organization and European Union directives for acylglycerol mixtures for use in food applications. The products were quantified by ¹³C NMR, with the aid of an external reference signal which was generated from a sealed coaxial tube filled with acetonitrile‐d3. After calibrating the area of this signal using the classical external reference method, the same coaxial tube was used repeatedly to quantify the reaction products. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cantilever Functionalization Using Peroxidase Extract of Low Cost for Glyphosate Detection

A highly efficient process for reducing the fatty acid (FA) content of high-acid rice bran oil (RBO) was developed by immobilized partial glycerides-selective lipase SMG1-F278N-catalyzed esterification/transesterification using methanol as a novel acyl acceptor. Molecular docking simulation indicated that methanol was much closer to the catalytic serine (Ser-171) compared with ethanol and glycerol, which might be one of the reasons for its high efficiency in the deacidification of high-acid RBO. Additionally, the reaction parameters were optimized to minimize the FA content of high-acid RBO. Under the optimal conditions (substrate molar ratio of methanol to FAs of 1.8:1, enzyme loading of 40 U/g, and at 30 °C), FA content decreased from 25.14 to 0.03% after 6 h of reaction. Immobilized SMG1-F278N exhibited excellent methanol tolerance and retained almost 100% of its initial activity after being used for ten batches. After purification by molecular distillation, the final product contained 97.86% triacylglycerol, 2.10% diacylglycerol, and 0.04% FA. The acid value of the final product was 0.09 mg KOH/g, which reached the grade one standard of edible oil. Overall, methanol was a superior acyl acceptor for the deacidification of high-acid RBO and the high reusability of immobilized SMG1-F278N indicates an economically attractive process.     

Monitoring lipase-catalyzed methanolysis of sunflower oil by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography: elucidation of the mechanisms of lipases

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with UV detection at 210 nm was used to monitor the formation of the major compounds during the lipase-catalyzed transesterification reaction of sunflower oil with methanol. Individual triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, monoacylglycerols as well as fatty acids and their corresponding methyl esters were separated using acetonitrile/acetone as a mobile phase and a combined linear gradient-isocratic-step gradient-isocratic elution procedure. Another relatively short method consisting of a linear gradient elution followed by an isocratic elution gave similar results, yet with lower resolution. HPLC/mass spectrometry with an ion trap analyzer and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source was used for the identification of the individual compounds. Individual calibration curves obtained with UV detection at 210 nm were found to be of use for quantitative analyses of double-bond containing methyl esters and acylglycerols. The use of the RP-HPLC methods in the elucidation of the mechanisms of three immobilized lipases, namely Lipozyme TL IM, Lipozyme RM IM and Novozym 435, in biodiesel production was described.     

Kinetic Modeling of Solvent-Free Lipase-Catalyzed Partial Hydrolysis of Palm Oil

This work reports the experimental data and kinetic modeling of diacylglycerol (DAG) production from palm oil using a commercial immobilized lipase (Lipozyme RM IM) in a solvent-free medium. The experiments were performed in batch mode, at 55?°C and 400?rpm, and the effects of enzyme concentration (0.68?C2.04?wt% related to the mass of substrates), initial water concentration (5?C15?wt% related to the mass of oil), and reaction time were evaluated. A novel kinetic model is presented based on the ordered-sequential bi?Cbi mechanism considering hydrolysis and esterification steps, in which a correlation between water-in-oil solubility and surfactant molecules concentration in the oil allowed the model to describe the induction period in the beginning of the hydrolysis reaction. Moreover, mass transfer limitations related to the enzyme concentration in the system were also taken into account. The proposed model presented a very satisfactory agreement with the experimental data, thus allowing a better understanding of the reaction kinetics. The best conditions obtained for the product (partially hydrolyzed palm oil) in terms of DAG yield (35.91?wt%) were 2.87?wt% enzyme/substrate, 2.10?wt% water/oil, and 72?h of reaction.     

Application of the calorimetric and spectroscopic methods in analytical evaluation of the human milk fat substitutes

The aim of this paper was the analytical evaluation of human milk fat substitutes (HMFS) by the calorimetric and spectroscopic methods. The HMFS were obtained by enzymatic interesterification of blend of lard or milk fat with rapeseed oil and concentrate of fish oil. The enzymatic reactions were carried out at 60, 70, and 80 °C for 2 h. A commercially immobilized 1,3-specific lipase, Lipozyme RM IM, was used as a biocatalyst. Oxidative stability of HMFS was determined using the calorimetric method. The oxidative induction time was obtained from the pressure differential scanning calorimetry curves. Peroxide value (PV) and anisidine value were determined using spectroscopic method. Interesterification caused a decrease in oxidative stability. Samples with lower induction times were characterized by higher PV. There was also a strong relation between total polar compound content and induction time. The induction times obtained for analyzed fats can be used as primary parameters for the assessment of the resistance of tested fats to their oxidative decomposition.     

Application of a Chitosan-Immobilized Talaromyces thermophilus Lipase to a Batch Biodiesel Production from Waste Frying Oils

Waste frying oil, which not only harms people’s health but also causes environmental pollution, can be a good alternative to partially substitute petroleum diesel through transesterification reaction. This oil contained 8.8 % of free fatty acids, which cause a problem in a base-catalyzed process. In this study, synthesis of biodiesel was efficiently catalyzed by the covalently immobilized Talaromyces thermophilus lipase and allowed bioconversion yield up to 92 % after 24 h of reaction time. The optimal molar ratio was four to six parts of methanol to one part of oil with a biocatalyst loaded of 25 wt.% of oil. Further, experiments revealed that T. thermophilus lipase, immobilized by a multipoint covalent liaison onto activated chitosan via a short spacer (glutaraldehyde), was sufficiently tolerant to methanol. In fact, using the stepwise addition of methanol, no significant difference was observed from the one-step whole addition at the start of reaction. The batch biodiesel synthesis was performed in a fixed bed reactor with a lipase loaded of 10 g. The bioconversion yield of 98 % was attained after a 5-h reaction time. The bioreactor was operated successfully for almost 150 h without any changes in the initial conversion yield. Most of the chemical and physical properties of the produced biodiesel meet the European and USA standard specifications of biodiesel fuels.     

Synthesis of SBA-15 from low cost silica precursor obtained from sugarcane leaf ash and its application as a support matrix for lipase in biodiesel production

Ordered mesoporous silica material was synthesized from a low-cost precursor, sugarcane leaf ash, was used as a support matrix for lipase for the production of biodiesel. The mesoporous samples were characterized using Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy. The surface topography and morphology of the mesoporous materials were studied using scanning electron microscope. The pore diameter, pore volume, Brunauer Emmett and Teller surface area of the mesoporous material were determined by N₂ gas adsorption technique. Different pore size Santa Barbara Acid-15 (SBA-15) samples were synthesized and their lipase immobilization capacity and specific enzyme activity of immobilization lipase were determined and compared. Lipase from Candida Antarctica immobilized on SBA-15 (C) had shown maximum percentage immobilization and specific enzyme activity. The immobilized lipase mesoporous matrix was used for biodiesel production from crude non-edible Calophyllum inophyllum oil. The percentage yield of fatty acid methyl ester, 97.6 % was obtained under optimized conditions: 100 mg of lipase immobilized on SBA-15, 6:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, the reaction of 2 g C. inophyllum oil with methanol.     

Controllable Regioselective Acylation of Flavonoids Catalyzed by Lipase in Microreactors

A method for regioselective acylation of flavonoids (naringin and naringin dihydrochalcone) in a flow microreactor using Lipozyme TL IM from Thermomyces lanuginosus as the catalyst has been developed. The important features of this method include mild reaction conditions, short reaction times (30 min), high yields, and high regioselectivities.     

Deacylation studies on furanose triesters using an immobilized lipase: synthesis of a key precursor for bicyclonucleosides

Lipozyme TL IM immobilized on silica catalyses the deacylation of 4-C-acyloxymethyl-3,5-di-O-acyl-1,2-O-(1-methylethylidene)-beta-L-threo-pentofuranose to form 3,5-di-O-acyl-4-C-hydroxymethyl-1,2-O-(1-methylethylidene)-alpha-d-xylo-pentofuranose in a highly selective and efficient manner.     

Synthesis of monocaprin catalyzed by lipase

The production of monoglyceride emulsifiers commonly employed in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries can be catalyzed by lipases, biocatalysts that are becoming increasingly attractive in the enzyme market. The aim of this study was to produce monocaprin utilizing a commercial immobilized lipase (Lipozyme IM 20) through the direct esterification of capric acid and glycerol. Experiments were performed for 6 h in an open reactor and the products were analyzed by gas chromatography. The parameters investigated were the amount of enzyme, temperature, and molar ratio between the reagents (capric acid/glycerol). The experimental runs followed an experimental design generated using Statistica® software. The results showed that all the parameters were significant and that monocaprin production was enhanced at the lower ranges of the tested variables. The best conditions established were 55°C, 3% (w/w) enzyme concentration, and molar ratio of 1. The final product, obtained after 6 h of reaction, was 61.3% monocaprin, 19.9% dicaprin, and 18.8% capric acid. This composition satisfies the directives of the World Health Organization food emulsifiers, which requires that these mixtures have at least 70% mono- plus diglyceride, and a minimum of 30% monoacylglycerol.