Sunday, July 26, 2009
P1

Estolides synthesis using lipase

Erika C. G. Aguieiras1, Danielle O. Rosas2, Juliana V. Bevilaqua3, Claudia O. Veloso4, and Marta A. P. Langone4. (1) Pós-graduação em Tecnologia dos Processos Químicos e Bioquímicos, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, (2) Pdab/Hpe, Cenpes/Petrobras, Av. Horácio Macedo, 950 - Cidade Universitária, Rio DE Janeiro, Brazil, (3) Cenpes, Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, (4) Ppgeq, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Sao Francisco Xavier 524 , PHLC, sl 427, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Estolide is a generic name for linear oligomeric polyesters. Estolides from oleic acid, castor oil, or any source of hydroxy fatty acids have been explored and show promise as biodegradable lubricants. Chemically synthesized estolides present problems of coloration and odor due to the high reaction temperature needed. As an alternative, the enzymatic synthesis of estolides by the catalytic action of lipase, which acts in mild reaction conditions, has been studied. In this work, estolides from oleic acid and methyl ricinoleate (biodiesel from castor oil) were produced by using immobilized commercial lipase. The influence of reaction temperature, enzyme concentration, molar ratio of reactants, reaction time, and use of molecular sieves on conversion was investigated. The lipase used in this study keeps high activity even at 100°C. In relation to molar ratio of reactants, the highest conversion (30%) was obtained at a molar ratio of 1:1 after 24 h of reaction. The conversion increased with the increase of lipase concentration. However, an amount of lipase up to 14 wt.% is already enough to saturate the enzyme-substrate system. Conversion of 50% was achieved after 100 h of reaction. The use of molecular sieves improves the performance of the reaction.  A conversion of 43.7% was obtained after 48 h of reaction when 500 mg of molecular sieve were added to the reaction medium after 6 h of reaction.

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