Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Continuous Lipase-Catalyzed Alcoholysis of Sunflower Oil: Effect of Phase-Equilibrium on Process Efficiency

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

Abstract

Phase-equilibrium diagrams of biodiesel synthesis substrate (oil/alcohol/alkyl esters) and product (alkyl esters/glycerol/alcohol) mixtures containing methanol, ethanol and propanol, respectively, were used for the identification of those composition ratios leading to mixture homogeneity. Based on the diagrams, complete conversion of the substrate oil contained in a sunflower oil/ethanol/ethyl ester mixture at a weight ratio of 7.6:11.4:81.0 resulted in the generation of an amount of glycerol capable of remaining in solution in the product mixture. In contrast, complete conversion using a mixture of a lower alcohol and ethyl ester content (19.0:6.0:75.0) leads to the separation of phases. A continuous reactor charged with Lypozyme TL-IM and fed with the former mixture showed constant conversion and productivity with time, whereas process efficiency was found to decrease drastically when the latter mixture was fed. When a sunflower oil/isopropanol/isopropyl ester mixture at a weight ratio of 35:35:30 was fed in the reactor charged with Novozym 435, the output glycerol concentration was equivalent to that theoretically expected. In contrast, feeding a sunflower oil/ethanol/ethyl ester mixture of equal proportions as above, the glycerol concentration was lower than expected, suggesting the occurrence of glycerol adsorption on the enzyme support.

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

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Mittelbach M (1990) Lipase catalyzed alcoholysis of sunflower oil. J Am Oil Chem Soc 67:168–170

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Noureddini H, Zhu D (1997) Kinetics of transesterification of soybean oil. J Am Oil Chem Soc 74:1457–1463

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Yuan W, Hansen AC, Zhang Q, Tan Z (2005) Temperature-dependent kinematic viscosity of selected biodiesel fuels and blends with diesel fuel. J Am Oil Chem Soc 82:195–199

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Knothe G, Gerpen JV, Krahl J (2005) The biodiesel handbook. AOCS Press, Champaign

    Google Scholar 

  5. Shimada Y, Watanabe Y, Sugihara A, Tominaga Y (2002) Enzymatic alcoholysis for biodiesel fuel production and application of the reaction to oil processing. J Mol Catal B Enzym 17:133–142

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Iso M, Chen BX, Eguchi M, Kudo T, Shrestha S (2001) Production of biodiesel fuel from triglycerides and alcohol using immobilized lipase. J Mol Catal B Enzym 16:53–58

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Nelson LA, Foglia TA, Marmer WN (1996) Lipase-catalyzed production of biodiesel. J Am Oil Chem Soc 73:1191–1195

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dossat V, Combes D, Marty A (1999) Continuous enzymatic transesterification of high oleic sunflower oil in a packed bed reactor: influence of the glycerol production. Enzyme Microb Technol 25:194–200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Nielsen PM, Brask J, Fjerbae L (2008) Enzymatic biodiesel production: Technical and economical considerations. Eur J Lipid Sci Technol 110:692–700

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Shimada Y, Watanabe Y, Samukawa T, Sugihara A, Noda H, Fukuda H, Tominaga Y (1999) Conversion of vegetable oil to biodiesel using immobilized Candida antarctica lipase. J Am Oil Chem Soc 76:789–793

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wei D, Yuanyuan X, Dehua L, Jing Z (2003) Lipase-catalysed transesterification of soya bean oil for biodiesel production during continuous batch operation. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 38:103–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Selmi B, Thomas D (1998) Immobilized lipase-catalyzed ethanolysis of sunflower oil in a solvent-free medium. J Am Oil Chem Soc 75:691–695

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Watanabe Y, Shimada Y, Sugihara A, Noda H, Fukuda H, Tominaga Y (2000) Continuous production of biodiesel fuel from vegetable oil using immobilized Candida antarctica lipase. J Am Oil Chem Soc 77:355–360

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Watanabe Y, Shimada Y, Sugihara A, Tominaga Y (2002) Conversion of degummed soybean oil to biodiesel fuel with immobilized Candida antarctica lipase. J Mol Catal B: Enzym 17:151–155

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Du W, Xu Y, Liu D, Zeng J (2004) Comparative study on lipase-catalyzed transformation of soybean oil for biodiesel production with different acyl acceptors. J Mol Catal B Enzym 30:125–129

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Komers K, Tichý J, Skopal F (1995) Ternäres Phasendiagramm Biodiesel-Methanol-Glyzerin. J Pract Chem 337:328–331

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Zhou H, Lu H, Liang B (2006) Solubility of multicomponent systems in the biodiesel production by transesterification of Jatropha curcas L: oil with methanol. J Chem Eng Data 51:1130–1135

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Makareviciene V, Sendzikiene E, Janulis P (2005) Solubility of multi-component biodiesel fuel systems. Bioresour Technol 96:611–616

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Standard UNE-EN 14103 (2003) Determinación de los contenidos de éster y éster metílcio del ácido linolénico, issued by Asociación Española de Normalización y Certificación, Madrid, Spain

  20. Standard UNE-EN 14105 (2003) Determinación de los contenidos de glicerol libre y total y de mono-, di- y triglicéridos, Asociación Española de Normalización y Certificación, Madrid, Spain

Download references

Acknowledgments

Special acknowledgments to CSIC (Comisión Sectorial de Investigación Científica) of Uruguay’s Universidad de la República for financial support and scholarships; and to Novozymes Latinoamerica Ltda, for the supply of lipase samples. Text edited by Chem. Eng. Eduardo Speranza.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Grasas y Aceites, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Av. Gral. Flores 2124, 11800, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Iván Jachmanián, Matías Dobroyán, Mercedes Moltini, Nadia Segura, Bruno Irigaray, Juan Pablo Veira, Ignacio Vieitez & Maria A. Grompone

Authors
  1. Iván Jachmanián
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Matías Dobroyán
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mercedes Moltini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nadia Segura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bruno Irigaray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Juan Pablo Veira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Ignacio Vieitez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Maria A. Grompone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Iván Jachmanián.

About this article

Cite this article

Jachmanián, I., Dobroyán, M., Moltini, M. et al. Continuous Lipase-Catalyzed Alcoholysis of Sunflower Oil: Effect of Phase-Equilibrium on Process Efficiency. J Am Oil Chem Soc 87, 45–53 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-009-1478-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-009-1478-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation