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Microwave-assisted enzymatic synthesis of beef tallow biodiesel

  • Biocatalysis
  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Optimal conditions for the microwave-assisted enzymatic synthesis of biodiesel have been developed by a full 22 factorial design leading to a set of seven runs with different combinations of molar ratio and temperature. The main goal was to reduce the reaction time preliminarily established by a process of conventional heating. Reactions yielding biodiesel, in which beef tallow and ethanol used as raw materials were catalyzed by lipase from Burkholderia cepacia immobilized on silica-PVA and microwave irradiations within the range of 8–15 W were performed to reach the reaction temperature. Under optimized conditions (1:6 molar ratio of beef tallow to ethanol molar ratio at 50°C) almost total conversion of the fatty acid presented in the original beef tallow was converted into ethyl esters in a reaction that required 8 h, i.e., a productivity of about 92 mg ethyl esters g−1 h−1. This represents an increase of sixfold for the process carried out under conventional heating. In general, the process promises low energy demand and higher biodiesel productivity. The microwave assistance speeds up the enzyme catalyzed reactions, decreases the destructive effects on the enzyme of the operational conditions such as, higher temperature, stability, and specificity to its substrate, and allows the entire reaction medium to be heated uniformly.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Brazilian agencies CAPES (Project N°. 23038-028317/2008-44), CNPq (Project N°. 575524/2008-1) and FAPESP for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo, PO Box 116-12602-810, Lorena, SP, Brazil

    Patrícia C. M. Da Rós, Heizir F. de Castro & Ana K. F. Carvalho

  2. Instituto de Tecnologia e Pesquisa, Tiradentes University, Av. Murilo Dantas, 300, Farolândia, Aracaju, SE, Brazil

    Cleide M. F. Soares

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, State University of Maringa, Av. Colombo 5790, E-46, 87020-900, Maringa, PR, Brazil

    Flavio F. de Moraes & Gisella M. Zanin

Authors
  1. Patrícia C. M. Da Rós
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  2. Heizir F. de Castro
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  3. Ana K. F. Carvalho
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  4. Cleide M. F. Soares
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  5. Flavio F. de Moraes
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  6. Gisella M. Zanin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gisella M. Zanin.

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Da Rós, P.C.M., de Castro, H.F., Carvalho, A.K.F. et al. Microwave-assisted enzymatic synthesis of beef tallow biodiesel. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 39, 529–536 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-011-1059-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-011-1059-8

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