Enzymatic alcoholysis of palm and palm kernel oils: optimization by statistical methods.
The use of lipases as biocatalysts in ester synthesis has been the object of growing interest, owing to the importance of esters as emulsifiers, intermediates to produce oleochemicals, and fuel alternatives. We consider in this report the application of lipases in the ethanolysis of palm and palm kernel oils to produce fatty-acid esters, using n-hexane as solvent. In order to maximize ester production, we adopted a Taguchi design and built an empirical model. Using this procedure, we determined the optimal condition for each system and established the influence of process variables in the conversion.
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