Enzymatic transesterification of Rubber Seed Oil Using Immobilized Pseudomonas Cepacia Lipase

Abstract

Biodiesel or Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) is a biofuel formed from transesterification of vegetable oil and fat. In this study, the source of vegetable oil is Rubber seed oil (RSO). The oil was extracted from rubber seed by solvent extraction, using n-hexane and methanol. The oil produced from both solvents’ extraction were used as feedstock. Biodiesel production from RSO was performed with methanol as acyl acceptor. using immobilized Pseudomonas cepacia lipase as catalyst. Three different parameters were studied, they are reaction time, lipase inhibition, and stepwise addition of methanol/oil molar ratio. The enzymatic transesterification with ultrasonic assisted process was utilized, as it enhances the miscibility between oil and methanol, which lead to reducing the reaction time and significantly increased the yield of biodiesel. The results indicated a significant biodiesel is produced with the highest yield of 76.55%, at 45 °C, with the lipase amount of 5 % (w/w), methanol to oil molar ratio of 3:1 within 6 hours. It is found that despite high content of free fatty acid of rubber seed oil, it has a potential as alternative feedstock for FAME production.