Enzymatic production of biodiesel from cotton seed oil using t-butanol as a solvent.
The enzymatic production of biodiesel by methanolysis of cottonseed oil was studied using immobilized Candida antarctica lipase as catalyst in t-butanol solvent. Methyl ester production and triacylglycerol disappearance were followed by HPLC chromatography. It was found, using a batch system, that enzyme inhibition caused by undissolved methanol was eliminated by adding t-butanol to the reaction medium, which also gave a noticeable increase of reaction rate and ester yield. The effect of t-butanol, methanol concentration and temperature on this system was determined. A methanolysis yield of 97% was observed after 24h at 50 degrees C with a reaction mixture containing 32.5% t-butanol, 13.5% methanol, 54% oil and 0.017 g enzyme (g oil)(-1). With the same mixture, a 95% ester yield was obtained using a one step fixed bed continuous reactor with a flow rate of 9.6 mlh(-1) (g enzyme)(-1). Experiments with the continuous reactor over 500 h did not show any appreciable decrease in ester yields.
Royon
D
D
Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química (INIQUI, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Salta, Buenos Aires 177, 4400 Salta, Argentina. droyon@unsa.edu.ar
Daz
M
M
Ellenrieder
G
G
Locatelli
S
S
D002384:Catalysis; D003369:Cottonseed Oil / Q000737:chemistry*; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D005742:Gasoline; D008049:Lipase / Q000378:metabolism*; D013696:Temperature; D020002:tert-Butyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry*
D003369:Cottonseed Oil; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D005742:Gasoline; C093667:Novozyme 435; D008049:Lipase; D020002:tert-Butyl Alcohol