Monday, May 5, 2008 - 11:30 AM

Chemical and Enzymatic Synthesis of Fatty Acid Esters from Caster Oil

Gwi-Taek Jeong1, Seok-Hwan Park2, Jae-Hee Park2, and Don-Hee Park1. (1) School of Biological Sciences and Technology & Engineering Research Institute, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea, (2) Interdisciplinary Program of Graduate School for Bioenergy & Biomaterials, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea

Fatty acid esters are an alternative and renewable energy source. Its development hoped to reduce global dependence on petroleum, as well as air pollution. Several processes have been developed for the synthesis of fatty acid esters via acid-, alkali-, and enzyme-catalyzed reactions. As compared to other catalyst types used in the synthesis of fatty acid esters, enzymes have several advantages. They enable conversion under reaction conditions milder than those required for chemical methods. Moreover, in the enzymatic process, both the transesterification of triglycerides and the esterification of free fatty acids occur in one process step. As compared to conventional alkaline catalysis protocols, reaction efficiency tends to be rather poor. In the enzymatic process, several factors can influence both the yield and rate. These factors include the reaction solvent, reaction temperature, reaction time, methanol/oil molar ratio, enzyme amount, and water content. In this study, we have attempted to determine the optimal conditions for chemical and enzymatic alcoholysis of fatty acid esters using caster oil. It has also been determined that caster oil can be converted to fatty acid esters using this system, and the results of this study contribute to basic data relevant to the development of continuous chemical and enzymatic processes. Acknowledgements : This work is outcome of the fostering project of the Specialized Graduate School supported financially by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy(MOCIE).

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