Effects of regioselectivity and lipid class specificity of lipases on transesterification, exemplified by biodiesel production

• Published in: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
• Main Authors: Šinkūnienė, Dovilė, Adlercreutz, Patrick
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Biodiesel; Lipase; Transesterification; Alcoholysis; Acyl migration; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://vu.lvb.lt/VU:ELABAPDB5007143&prefLang=en_US

Lipase-catalyzed ethanolysis of triolein was studied as a model for biodiesel production. Four lipases were immobilized on porous polypropylene, and ethanolysis reactions were carried out in methyl t-butyl ether. The reaction products were analyzed using gas chromatography. Three of the four lipases studied were efficient in the conversion of triolein to 2-monoolein, but slow in the final step of producing glycerol. However, Candida antarctica lipase B was slow in the conversion of triolein, but more efficient in the subsequent two steps than the other lipases. The 1,3-selectivity of the lipases was less pronounced for the monooleins than for triolein. Silica gel was investigated as a catalyst for acyl migration, showing an increase in biodiesel yield with three of the lipases, but a reduction in yield when C. antarctica lipase B was used. The highest biodiesel yield (96 %) was obtained with a combination of Rhizopus arrhizus lipase and C. antarctica lipase B.