Biodiesel fuel production by enzymatic microalgae oil transesterification with ethanol

Abstract

This paper discusses the application of the enzymatic transesterification of algae oil with ethanol for the production of biodiesel fuel. Seven commercial lipases were tested, and the most effective lipase preparation—Lipolase 100L—was selected. The transesterification process was optimised by applying response surface methodology. The interaction of the molar ratio of ethanol to oil, the process duration, the lipase concentration, and the temperature was evaluated. Transesterification experiments were performed under different conditions, and the transesterification yield was measured. On the basis of the transesterification yield, a quadratic model was built, and the optimal conditions were determined: a temperature of 30 °C, a lipase amount of 10%, and an ethanol to oil molar ratio of 3:1. After 26 h, the transesterification yield was increased to 96.9%, and the requirements of the European standard for biodiesel fuel (EN 14214) were met.