Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An overview on transesterification of natural oils and fats

  • Review Paper
  • Published:
Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Transesterification of natural oils and fats has found various industrial applications, particularly in producing surfactants and biodiesel fuel. Due to the biodegradability and environmental compatibility of the products, many studies have been conducted in this area. An overview on transesterification of natural oils and fats is presented which includes the following topics: Catalytic and non-catalytic reactions and their optimum reaction conditions; types of catalysts and alcoholysis; reaction kinetics and mass transfer. The reports and findings from these aspects collectively provide useful information and serve as good guidelines for transesterification research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Scrimgeour, C. (2005) Chemistry of Fatty Acids, in Bailey’s Industrial Oil & Fat Products. 6th ed., pp. 1–43. John Wiley & Sons, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hubbard, A. T. (2001) Surfactant Science Series. pp. 1–44. In: J. Texter (eds.). Reaction and Synthesis in Surfactant Systems. Marcel Dekker, Inc. NY.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Otera, J. (2003) Esterification: Methods, Reactions and Applications. pp. 45–47. Wiley-Vch Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Cho, G. H. P., S. K. Yeong, T. L. Ooi, and C. H. Chuah (2006) Glycerol esters from the reaction of glycerol with dicarboxylic acid esters. J. Surfact. Detergents 9: 147–152.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Zhou, W. and D. G. B. Boocock (2006) Phase distributions of alcohol, glycerol, and catalyst in the transesterification of soybean oil. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 83: 1047–1052.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Goff, M. J., N. S. Bauer, S. Lopes, W. R. Sutterlin, and G. J. Suppes (2004) Acid-catalyzed alcoholysis of soybean Oil. J. Am. Oil Chem.Soc. 81: 415–420.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hengwen, H., W. Cao, and J. Zhang (2005) Preparation of biodiesel from soybean oil using supercritical methanol and CO2 as co-solvent. Proc. Biochem. 40: 3148–3151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Noureddini, H. and D. Zhu (1997) Kinetics of Transesterification of Soybean Oil. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 74: 1457–1463.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Xie, W., H. Peng, and L. Chen (2006) Transesterification of soybean oil catalyzed by potassium loaded on alumina as a solidbase catalyst. Applied Catalysis A: General 300: 67–74.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Reis, S. C. M. dos, E. R. Lachter, R. S. V. Nascimento, J. A. Rodrigues Jr., and M. G. Reid (2005) Transesterification of brazilian vegetable oils with methanol over ion-exchange resins. J. Am.Oil Chem. Soc. 82: 661–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Antunes, W. M., C. de O. Veloso, and C. A. Henriques (2008) Transesterification of soybean oil with methanol catalyzed by basic solids. Catal. Today 133–135: 548–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Garcia, C. M., S. Teixeira, L. L. Marciniuk, and U. Schuchardt (2008) Transesterification of soybean oil catalyzed by sulfated zirconia. Bioresour. Technol. 99: 6608–6613.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Liu, X., X. Piao, Y. Wang, S. Zhu, and H. He (2008) Calcium methoxide as a solid base catalyst for the transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel with methanol. Fuel 87: 1076–1082.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Liu, X., H. Hea, Y. Wang, S. Zhua, and X. Piao (2008) Transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel using CaO as a solid base catalyst. Fuel 87: 216–221.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Haas, M. J., K. M. Scott, W. N. Marmer, and T. A. Foglia (2004) In situ alkaline transesterification: an effective method for the production of fatty acid esters from vegetable oils. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 81: 83–89.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Zhou, W., S. K. Konar, and D. G. B. Boocock (2003) Ethyl esters from the single-phase base-catalyzed ethanolysis of vegetable oils. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 80: 367–371.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Stamenković, O. S., M. L. Lazić, Z. B. Todorović, V. B. Veljković, and D. U. Skala (2007) The effect of agitation intensity on alkali-catalyzed methanolysis of sunflower oil. Bioresour. Technol. 98: 2688–2699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Arzamendi, G., E. Arguiñarena, I. Campo, S. Zabala, and L. M. Gandí (2008) Alkaline and alkaline-earth metals compounds as catalysts for the methanolysis of sunflower oil. Catalysis Today 133–135: 305–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Demirbas, A. (2007) Biodiesel from sunflower oil in supercritical methanol with calcium oxide. Energy Conversion and Management 48: 937–941.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Dossat, V., D. Combes, and A. Marty (2002) Efficient lipase catalyzed production of a lubricant and surfactant formulation using a continuous solvent-free process. J. Biotechnol. 97: 117–124.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Bouaid, A., M. Martinez, and J. Aracil (2007) A comparative study of the production of ethyl esters from vegetable oils as a biodiesel fuel optimization by factorial design. Chemical Eng. J. 134: 93–99.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Meneghetti, S. M. P., M. R. Meneghetti, C. R. Wolf, E. C. Silva, G. E. S. Lima, M. de A. Coimbra, J. I. Soletti, and H. V. Carvalho (2006) Ethanolysis of castor and cottonseed oil: A systematic study using classical catalysts. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 83: 819–822.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Barakos, N., S. Pasias, and N. Papayannakos (2008) Transesterification of triglycerides in high and low quality oil feeds over an HT2 hydrotalcite catalyst. Bioresour. Technol. 99: 5037–5042.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kusdiana, D. and S. Saka (2001) Kinetics of transesterification in rapeseed oil to biodiesel fuel as treated in supercritical methanol. Fuel 80: 693–698.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Leclercq, E., A. Finiels, and C. Moreau (2001) Transesterification of rapeseed oil in the presence of basic zeolites and related solid catalysts. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 78: 1161–1165.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Jitputti, J., B. Kitiyanan, P. Rangsunvigit, K. Bunyakiat, L. Attanatho, and P. Jenvanitpanjakul (2006) Transesterification of crude palm kernel oil and crude coconut oil by different solid catalysts. Chemical Eng. J. 116: 61–66.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Darnokol, D. and M. Cheryan (2000) Kinetics of palm oil transesterification in a batch reactor. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 77: 1263–1267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Narvaez, P. C., S. M. Rincon, and F. J. Sanchez (2007) Kinetics of palm oil methanolysis. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 84: 971–977.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Xu, G. Z., B. L. Zhang, S. Y. Liu, and J. Z. Yue (2006) Study on immobilized lipase catalyzed transesterification reaction of Tung Oil. Agri. Sci. China 5: 859–864.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Tamalampudi, S., M. R. Talukder, S. Hamad, T. Numata, A. Kondo, and H. Fukuda (2008) Enzymatic production of biodiesel from Jatropha oil: A comparative study of immobilized-whole cell and commercial lipases as a biocatalyst. Biochemical Eng. J. 39: 185–189.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Chai, F., F. Cao, F. Zhai, Y. Chen, X. Wang, and Z. Su (2007) Transesterification of vegetable oil to biodiesel using a heteropolyacid solid catalyst. Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis 349: 1057–1065.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Meher, L. C., V. S. S. Dharmagadda, and S. N. Naik (2006) Optimization of alkali-catalyzed transesterification of Pongamia pinnata oil for production of biodiesel. Bioresour. Technol. 97: 1392–1397.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Ghadge, S. V. and H. Raheman (2006) Process optimization for biodiesel production from mahua (Madhuca indica) oil using response surface methodology. Bioresour. Technol. 97: 379–384.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Ghosh, M. and D. K. Bhattacharyya (1998) Enzymatic preparation of polyethylene glycol esters of castor oil fatty acids and their surface-active properties. J. Surfact.Detergents 1: 503–505.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. García, E., F. Ferrari, T. García, M. Martínez, and J. Aracil (2001) Optimization of the enzymatic esterification of diglycerol and lauric acid. J. Surfac. Detergents 4: 257–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Yunus, R., A. Fakhru’l-Razia, T. L. Ooib, D. R. A. Biaka, and S. E. Iyukea (2004) Kinetics of transesterification of palm-based methyl esters with trimethylolpropane. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 81: 497–503.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Sairre, M. I. de, E. S. Bronze-Uhle, and P. M. Donate (2005) Niobium (V) oxide: A new and efficient catalyst for the transesterification of β-keto esters. Tetrahedron Lett. 46: 2705–2708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. El-Mashad, H. M., R. Zhang, and R. J. Avena-Bustillos (2008) A two-step process for biodiesel production from salmon oil. Biosystems Eng. 99: 220–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Antunes, W. M., C. de O. Veloso, and C. A. Henriques (2008) Transesterification of soybean oil with methanol catalyzed by basic solids. Catalysis Today 133–135: 548–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Fukuda, H., A. Kondo, and H. Noda (2001) Biodiesel fuel production by transesterification of oils. J. Bioscience and Bioeng. 92: 405–416.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Bondioli, P. (2004) The preparation of fatty acid esters by means of catalytic reactions. Topics in Catalysis 27: 77–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Wen, D., H. Jiang, and K. Zhang (2009) Review: Supercritical fluids technology for clean biofuel production. Prog. Nat. Sci. 19: 273–284.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Song, E. S., J. W. Lim, H. S. Lee, and Y. W. Lee (2008) Transesterification of RBD palm oil using supercritical methanol. J. Supercritical Fluids 44: 356–363.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Kasim, N. S., T. H. Tsai, S. Gunawan, and Y. H. Ju (2009) Biodiesel production from rice bran oil and supercritical methanol. Bioresour. Technol. 100: 2399–2403.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Hawash, S., N. Kamal, F. Zaher, O. Kenawi, and G. El Diwani (2009) Biodiesel fuel from Jatropha oil via non-catalytic supercritical methanol Transesterification. Fuel 88: 579–582.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Salis, A., M. Pinna, M. Monduzzi, and V. Solinas (2005) Biodiesel production from triolein and short chain alcohols through biocatalysis. J. Biotechnol. 119: 291–299.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Hernandez-Martýn, E. and C. Otero (2008) Different enzyme requirements for the synthesis of biodiesel: Novozym 435 and Lipozyme_TL IM. Bioresour. Technol. 99: 277–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Maceiras, R., M. Vega, C. Costa, P. Ramos, and M. C. Márquez (2009) Effect of methanol content on enzymatic production of biodiesel from waste frying oil. Fuel 88: 2130–2134.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Talukder, M. M. R., C. W. Jin, B. V. N. Thi, M. F. Ng, and Y. L. S. M. Yeo (2009) Novozym 435 for production of biodiesel from unrefined palm oil: Comparison of methanolysis methods. J. Mol. Catal. B: Enzymatic 60: 106–112.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Hoydonckx, H. E., D. E. D. Vos, S. A. Chavan, and P. A. Jacobs (2004) Esterification and transesterification of renewable chemicals. Topics in Catalysis 27: 83–96.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Meher, L. C., D. V. Sagar, and S. N. Naik (2006) Technical aspects of biodiesel production by transesterification: A review. Ren. Sust. Ener. Rev. 10: 248–268.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Stamenkovic, O. S., Z. B. Todorovic, M. L. Lazic, V. B. Veljkovic, and D. U. Skala (2008) Kinetics of sunflower oil methanolysis at low temperatures. Bioresour. Technol. 99: 1131–1140.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  53. Veljkovic, V. B., O. S. Stamenkovic, Z. B. Todorovic, M. L. Lazic, and D. U. Skala (2009) Kinetics of sunflower oil methanolysis catalyzed by calcium oxide. Fuel 88: 1554–1562.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Slinn, M. and K. Kendall (2009) Developing the reaction kinetics for a biodiesel reactor. Bioresour. Technol. 100: 2324–2327.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Ataya, F., M. A. Dube, and M. Ternan (2006) Single-phase and two-phase base-catalyzed transesterification of canola oil to fatty acid methyl esters at ambient conditions. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 45: 5411–5417.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Bambase, M. E. Jr., N. Nakamura, J. Tanaka, and M. Matsumura (2007) Kinetics of hydroxide-catalyzed methanolysis of crude sunflower oil for the production of fuel-grade methyl esters. J. Chemical Technol. Biotechnol. 82: 273–280.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia

    Sanaz Shahla, Ngoh Gek Cheng & Rozita Yusoff

Authors
  1. Sanaz Shahla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ngoh Gek Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rozita Yusoff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ngoh Gek Cheng.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shahla, S., Cheng, N.G. & Yusoff, R. An overview on transesterification of natural oils and fats. Biotechnol Bioproc E 15, 891–904 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-009-3157-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-009-3157-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation