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Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry (2003) 38, (103–106) (Printed in Great Britain)

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Lipase-catalysed transesterification of soya bean oil for biodiesel production during continuous batch operation

Wei Du¹, Yuanyuan Xu and Dehua Liu

Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China

Key words: biodiesel, lipase, methyl ester, transesterification.

¹To whom correspondence should be addressed (e-mail duwei@tsinghua.edu.cn).

The effects of temperature, oil/alcohol molar ratio and by-product glycerol were studied during Lipozyme TL IM-catalysed continuous batch operation when short-chain alcohols were used as the acyl acceptor. In non-continuous batch operation, the optimal oil/alcohol ratio and temperature were 1:4 and 40–50 °C; however, during the continuous batch operation, the optimal oil/alcohol ratio and temperature were 1:1 and 30 °C; 95% of enzymic activity remained after 10 batches when isopropanol was adopted to remove by-product glycerol during repeated use of the lipase.

Received 20 February 2003/15 May 2003; accepted 16 May 2003

Published as Immediate Publication 16 May 2003, DOI 10.1042/BA20030032

© 2003 Portland Press Ltd