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Biodiesel production from Nannochloropsis oculata oil using immobilized lipase with methyl acetate as an acyl acceptor

D.Surendhiran,M.Vijay

The present investigation dealt with conversion of marine microalgal oil from Nannochloropsis oculata, to biodiesel, using immobilized lipase along with methyl acetate as acyl acceptor. Lipase, a versatile biocatalyst in biotechnological process, was isolated from Burkholderia cepacia MTCC4684. The crude extract of enzyme was entrapped in alginate beads. Using immobilized lipase the biodiesel conversion (%) was evaluated by optimizing the process parameters. The conditions yielding maximum conversion were 3g immobilized lipase, 1:12 oil to methyl acetate ratio, 350C, 6% water, 60 h reaction time and agitation rate of 400rpm. The immobilized beads retained their stability even after repeated uses of 20 cycles. The optimal conditions gave 95.36%of biodiesel conversion. The fatty acids predominantly constituting FAME (Fatty acid methyl esters), analysed usingGC-MS,were lauric (C12:0), palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2) and arachidic (C20:0) acids. Due to high content of oleic acid, biodiesel could be resistant to oxidation and stored for a longer period. This study is, thus an ecofriendly “green process”, involving reusable and potential immobilized biocatalyst for biodiesel production.