Improvement of enzymatic biodiesel production by controlled substrate feeding using silica gel in solvent free system

• Published in: Enzyme and microbial technology Vol. 49; no. 4; pp. 402 - 406
• Main Authors: Lee, Myunggu, Lee, Junhak, Lee, Dohoon, Cho, Jaehoon, Kim, Sangyong, Park, Chulhwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 10.09.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biodiesel; Biofuel production; Biofuels; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Biotechnology - methods; Canola Oil; catalysts; Energy; Enzyme inhibition; Enzymes, Immobilized - metabolism; Esterification; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated - metabolism; feeding methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; glycerol; immobilized enzymes; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Lipase; Lipase - metabolism; Methanol; Methanol - metabolism; Silica Gel; solvents; Transesterfication; transesterification; Enzyme inhibition; Silica gel; Lipase; Biodiesel; Transesterfication; Methanol; Enzyme; Triacylglycerol lipase; Esterases; Biofuel; Silica; Optimization; Carboxylic ester hydrolases; Substrate; Production; Hydrolases; Inhibition; Solvent
• ISSN: 0141-0229; 1879-0909
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2011.06.020

A silica gel-based substrate feeding system was developed to prevent methanol inhibiting the catalyst during enzymatic biodiesel synthesis. In the system, silica gel swelled upon methanol addition and subsequently released it in a controlled manner to prevent excess methanol affecting the enzyme. Biodiesel was synthesized by the enzymatic transesterification of canola oil with methanol. For this reaction, enzyme loading, methanol/oil molar ratio, silica gel dosage, glycerol content, and methanol feeding method were tested using commercial immobilized enzymes (Novozym 435 and Lipozyme RM IM from Novozymes). The results showed that conversion was highest with controlled substrate feeding rather than direct methanol addition, suggesting that the method developed here can easily prevent enzyme inhibition by limiting methanol concentration to an acceptable level.