Transesterification of refined bleached deodorized palm oil (rbdpo) using novozym® 435 to produce biodiesel

Abstract

As a renewable energy source, biodiesel is an alternative fuel that is environmentally friendly, and non-toxic. Conventionally, biodiesel is mostly produced by a transesterification reaction of triglycerides with short-chain alcohol in the presence of an acidic or basic catalyst, but it requires high energy, difficult in the purification of glycerol and there is the possibility of soap formation. Currently, the process production of biodiesel has been directed to the enzymatic process. The enzymatic process can produce high-purity products because it is easy in removing by-products such as glycerol. Novozym® 435 have been reported as a biocatalyst which indicates a high conversion and able to catalyze a variety of organic chemical reactions. It is biodegradable, no possibility of soap formation, and can be used repeatedly. Ethanol used as an acyl acceptor because it is more renewable than methanol. The reaction parameters that used in this research were the molar ratio of raw material to ethanol, temperature reaction, and reaction time. The best result obtained in 7 hours reaction time at 40 °C was 98,83 % of ester yield with a molar ratio of ethanol and RBDPO was 6:1 and the catalyst dosage was 30 % (w/w). Based on the results, it shows that Novozym® 435 is a good biocatalyst in enzymatic transesterification process for biodiesel synthesis.

Reusability of the Deep Eutectic Solvent - Novozym 435^® Enzymes System in Transesterification from Degumming Palm Oil

“…Preparation of DES. Choline chloride and glycerol with molar ratio of 1:2 were mixed and stirred at 80°C with stirring of 300 rpm for 1 hour until homogeneous and transparent liquid was DES [8]. In this work as ChCl:Glycerol:Water were prepared by mixing the pure ChCl:Glycerol molar ratio (1:2) with specific amounts of distilled water.…”