Author(s):
Bule, Maria João Galvão Morgado
Date: 2014
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/6804
Origin: Repositório da UTL
Subject(s): biodiesel; transesterification; fatty acid methyl esters; continuous system; cardoon seeds oil; lipase/acyltransferase
Description
Mestrado em Engenharia Alimentar - Instituto Superior de Agronomia
The aim of this study is the biodiesel production from cardoon seed oil (Cynara cardunculus, L.) by enzymatic catalysis in batch and continuous systems. The biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters - FAME) was obtained by transesterification of the crude cardoon oil with methanol, in a biphasic organic/aqueous system, catalyzed by the lipase/acyltransferase from Candida parapsilosis immobilized in synthetic resins (Accurel MP1000 and Lewatit VP OC 1600). This enzyme, when biphasic media, catalyses preferentially transesterification over hydrolysis, conversely to the behaviour of conventional lipases. In batch system, the highest FAME yield (about 97%) was obtained with the enzyme immobilized in Lewatit VP OC 1600 after 24h of reaction, with an oil concentration of 10% (m/v) in the emulsion. The Fame production system was implemented in a packed-bed continuous reactor. The highest FAME yield (about 20%) was obtained with the enzyme immobilized in Accurel MP 1000 with an oil concentration of 20% (m/v) in the emulsion. In this essay, the enzyme demonstrated a good operational stability, remaining active about 15 days, when the FAME production stopped.