Enzymatic Approach to Biodiesel Production

Abstract

The need for alternative energy sources that combine environmental friendliness with biodegradability, low toxicity, renewability, and less dependence on petroleum products has never been greater. One such energy source is referred to as biodiesel. This can be produced from vegetable oils, animal fats, microalgal oils, waste products of vegetable oil refinery or animal rendering, and used frying oils. Chemically, they are known as monoalkyl esters of fatty acids. The conventional method for producing biodiesel involves acid and base catalysts to form fatty acid alkyl esters. Downstream processing costs and environmental problems associated with biodiesel production and byproducts recovery have led to the search for alternative production methods and alternative substrates. Enzymatic reactions involving lipases can be an excellent alternative to produce biodiesel through a process commonly referred to alcoholysis, a form of transesterification reaction, or through an interesterification (ester interchange) reaction. Protein engineering can be useful in improving the catalytic efficiency of lipases as biocatalysts for biodiesel production. The use of recombinant DNA technology to produce large quantities of lipases, and the use of immobilized lipases and immobilized whole cells, may lower the overall cost, while presenting less downstream processing problems, to biodiesel production. In addition, the enzymatic approach is environmentally friendly, considered a "green reaction", and needs to be explored for industrial production of biodiesel.

Recent Trends in Biodiesel and Biogas Production

“…Despite these disadvantages, enzyme catalysed process used for biodiesel production is nowadays considered as an environmentally-friendly alternative having good opportunity to be highly commercialized when new, less expensive and more efficient, biocatalysts will be available (7,42), especially with implementation of recombinant DNA technology (43).…”

Production of Candida antarctica Lipase B Gene Open Reading Frame using Automated PCR Gene Assembly Protocol on Robotic Workcell and Expression in an Ethanologenic Yeast for use as Resin-Bound Biocatalyst in Biodiesel Production

“…27 Regeneration of the activity of deactivated immobilized C. antarctica lipase has been demonstrated. 2 The production and stability of immobilized C. antarctica lipase for routine cost-effective application in an industrial biorefinery are under investigation in our laboratory.…”

“…2,20e22 Differences have been observed in the catalytic activity of a lipase enzyme immobilized on different supports having different functional groups on their surface, allowing either physical or chemical adsorption. 2,19,23 Surface structure of the support can affect enzyme activity through direct effects (type, strength, and orientation of enzyme-support interactions) or indirect effects (substrate-product interaction with the support affecting substrate-product partitioning between medium and binding site). In one study, the lowest loading of enzyme on a support showed the highest catalytic efficiency (activity of loaded protein).…”

Biodiesel: visão crítica do status atual e perspectivas na academia e na indústria

“…14,165,166,170 Porém, isso deve ser melhor avaliado, uma vez que mesmo se o rendimento da transformação fosse 100%, fato incomum na catálise enzimática até o presente, após a separação da glicerina, a fase que contém os ésteres deverá ser submetida à evaporação para a completa remoção do álcool que foi usado em excesso. No caso de ter sido usado um cossolvente como, por exemplo, hexano 171,172 este também deverá ser removido. os ésteres resultantes ainda poderão conter glicerina residual dissolvida, a qual deverá ser removida em uma etapa de purificação obrigatória para enquadrar o produto nas especificações de qualidade EN 14214, 6 ASTm 6751 D 4 ou ANP 07/2008.…”