| Summary: | This work focused on the development of efficient continuous processes for the production of esters from crude or refined high oleic sunflower oil with enzymatic packed bed reactor presenting high levels of productivity and stability. A process of continuous transesterification in packed bed reactor using Novozyme 435 (lipase B from Candida antarctica immobilized onto Lewatit VP OC 1600), a non-specific biocatalyst, was optimized to transformation of high-oleic sunflower oil into butylic esters. The phenomena of partition of polar compounds (phospholipids found in crude oils, produced glycerol etc.) between the reaction medium and the enzymatic support were managed using tert-butanol, a polar solvent. The conditions that enabled the best compromise between stability, productivity and production yields were obtained with an initial oil concentration of 500 mM and a molar ratio between co-substrates of 5. Such conditions enabled a productivity of 13.8 tons.kg-1.kg of Novozyme 435-1 to be reached. The reactor exhibited great stability for 50 consecutive days without any loss of activity. That enabled to minimize the high costs of the enzyme. The novelty of the process was the use of crude oils, containing high levels of natural antioxidants (phospholipids, tocopherols etc.). We demonstrated that these minor components of oils were preserved during the transesterification process. It conferred the synthesized esters some remarkable properties of oxidative resistance.The economic relevance of the process was improved thanks to the development of a new biocatalyst onto a very hydrophobic support (Accurel MP) in order to avoid any adsorptions of polar compounds. An economic analysis (maximisation of the net present value) enabled to rationalize the optimal immobilisation conditions. Over the whole process, it enabled a 50% saving on the global expenses.__ In continuous transesterification conditions, no difference in the product profile was noticed between the new biocatalyst and Novozyme 435.Finally, an alternative to ...
|
|---|