Improved Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Production of Biodiesel

The conversion of renewable oils to biodiesel, primarily through the methanolysis of triglycerides, represents an attractive option as a renewable source of energy. In this approach, an immobilized lipase is used as a heterogeneous biocatalyst to transform renewable oils into biodiesel. However, immobilized lipases catalyze the transesterification reaction slowly. Also, they are poisoned by high methanol concentrations, which preclude their industrial implementation. This project will modify a promising commercially-available immobilized lipase to improve the rate of methanol transesterification and to improve the stability of the catalyst in the presence of high concentrations of methanol. In Phase I, a commercially available immobilized lipase was modified with different substituents, and it was demonstrated the modified materials catalyzed the transesterification reaction faster than unmodified catalyst. In addition, the modified catalyst was used multiple times without a decrease in performance. In Phase II, (1) the performance of the catalyst will be further improved; (2) its activity will be characterized to define the operational envelope of the material; (3) its performance will be determined as a function of re-use cycle; and (4) a preliminary design for industrially-sized batch and continuous transesterification processes will be developed. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The ability to cheaply and efficiently convert plant oils to biodiesel would provide the country with a renewable source of diesel fuel. The technology would reduce the country¿s dependence on foreign oil and would result in a net decrease in carbon dioxide emissions