Abstracts 105th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo May 4-May 7, 2014 BIO 1: Enzymatic Biodiesel Chairs: H.C. Holm, Novozymes A/S, Denmark; and R. Burton, MARC-IV, Inc., USA Technical Considerations for Biodiesel Production feedstocks. The recent results from a commercial Using Enzyme Catalysis. R. Burton, MARC-IV, Inc., continuous unit for the enzymatic production of Pittsboro, NC, USA. biodiesel using high FFA’s multiple feedstocks will The search for alternative catalysts for the also be presented. production of biodiesel has been of significant interest to industry. Enzyme Catalyzed Biodiesel Using Liquid Lipases. One primary reason to replace conventional P.M. Nielsen, Novozymes A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark. alkaline catalysis is to eliminate soap waste streams During the last year the enzymatic in commercial production. Furthermore, utilizing transesterification using liquid lipase (the BioFAME enzymes in the processing of fatty acid esters can process) has been proven in full production scale in eliminate waste water streams, enhance the co- two plants in USA. The learnings from these plants product quality of glycerol, and provide the ability to are shared in this presentation in the discussion of use lower quality feedstocks. These low quality how to control the process to get biodiesel from feedstocks like yellow grease with higher free fatty used cooking oil and DDGS corn oil. The most acid (FFA) content are largely underutilized for important parameters have been: biodiesel due to the difficulty of processing these Securing correct pretreatment to keep the types of oils. This paper will evaluate the real world enzyme stable experiences of an enzymatic biodiesel plant. This Controlling the methanol addition rate operation has developed biodiesel production Recover the heavy phase and re-use the techniques using the immobilized enzymes Candida enzyme Antarctica Lipase B (CALB), as well as liquid enzyme Downstream processing formulations for the production of fatty acid esters. We will describe the details in controlling the reaction and document the BioFAME process. The A New Immobilized Lipase for Industrial Production robustness for tolerance of changes in FFA will be of Biodiesel. S. Basheer, TransBiodiesel Ltd., Shfar discussed, as well as the perspectives and how to am, Israel. operate with different types of oil qualities. Lipases have been proposed since more than a decade for the production of fatty acid short-chain Effect of Phospholipids on Free Lipase-mediated alkyl esters for use as biodiesel. Either esterification Biodiesel Production. W. Du, Tsinghua University, of free fatty acids and a short-chain alcohol or Beijing, China. transesterification of glycerides and a short chain Free lipase-catalyzed biodiesel has drawn more alcohol, typically methanol, have been and more attentions in recent years because of its predominantly applied for enzymatic production of advantages of lower cost and faster reaction rate. biodiesel. Reported results showed that different Utilizing free lipase to convert low quality oils, such formulations of various native lipases exhibited high as crude vegetable oils and microbial oils, is degree of intolerance to methanol typically used in beneficial to further reduce the cost of biodiesel the esterification/transesterification reactions of production. However, these oils typically contain different oil feedstocks to produce biodiesel. In some amount of phospholipids. Phospholipids were addition to inhibition of the catalytic activity caused found to affect the lipase-catalyzed process and by methanol, the use of commercially available further influence the enzyme’s thermal stability in immobilized lipases for the production of biodiesel biodiesel production process. In this work, free has faced severe mass transfer constraints. This lipase NS81006-mediated biodiesel production from work will present a new developed immobilized oils containing phospholipids at varied temperature enzyme preparation characterized with its high was investigated systematically. It was found that activity for the catalysis of both esterification as well increasing temperature led to a decreased fatty acid as transesterification reactions, simultaneously. methyl esters (FAME) yield and poor reuse stability Based on the developed enzymatic process different of the lipase in converting oils containing pilot model units have been designed and built for phospholipids for biodiesel production. Further the production of biodiesel using high FFA’s multiple study showed that this inhibitory effect of 1 Abstracts 105th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo May 4-May 7, 2014 temperature was mainly attributed to the universal concerns for biodiesel producers, such as coexistence of phospholipids and methanol in the feedstock diversity and crude biodiesel refining to system. A novel two-step enzyme-mediated process meet ASTM specs, but because of the sometimes was developed, with which the above-mentioned subtle differences in the enzymatic reaction, unique inhibitory effect was eliminated, and a FAME yield of solutions are required to address these concerns. 95.1% could be obtained with oils containing 10% Specifically, these unit operations include the phospholipids as the feedstock. recovery and reuse of the enzymes to catalyze multiple batches, the reduction of FFA from the Large Scale, Enzyme-catalyzed Methyl Ester crude biodiesel, and proving the use of the lowest Manufacturing—Justification and Execution. B. quality feedstocks. In the research department at Baughman, Blue Sun Biodiesel, Wheat Ridge, CO, Viesel Fuels, each of these processes is at different USA. stages of development, implementation, and Practical focus on the challenges facing optimization. The results presented offer great investors/owners/engineers choosing to engage the promise of making the large scale enzymatic Novozymes enzymatic catalyst in methyl ester biodiesel process both technically and commercially manufacturing. Substance is based on decades of feasible. practical experience designing, building, operating and maintaining industrial manufacturing facilities in Biodiesel Through Enzymatic Transesterification: the oleo and renewable fuels sectors and the recent The Ecological and Economical Alternative for Low commercialization of the Novozymes enzyme Quality Oil Feedstocks. M. Kellens, Desmet Ballestra catalyst at 30 mgy scale. Practical discussion of the Group, Zaventem, Belgium. six pillars of manufacturing: Regulatory Compliance The increasing tendency to use low quality oils Plan, Volume/Logistics Plan, Quality Plan, Capital as feedstock for biodiesel production has triggered Plan, Expense Plan, HR/HR Organizational the development of various chemical routes to make Development Plan. them suitable for the conventional, mostly alkaline based chemical transesterification process. High FFA From Promise to Practice: Real-life Advances in oils are pre-esterified using strong acids, special Enzymatic Biodiesel. K.P. Staller, Patriarch Oleo, Inc., resins, or bound with glycerine, after which they Garrett, IN, USA. then undergo a further transesterification to convert Enzymatic biodiesel was brought to a all fatty acids into their methylester form. commercial reality this past year. Characteristically, The development of robust Lipase enzymes, the path to commercial operation turned out to be able to attack fatty acids in both free and bound far more difficult than anticipated, but this form, has made it possible to convert low quality presentation will show how the obstacles were high acidity feedstocks into biodiesel with minimum overcome. pretreatment. The enzymatic process has been proven to work Utilization of Liquid Lipase on a Commercial Scale. on used cooking oils, fatty acid distillates and high R. Hobden, Viesel Fuel, LLC, Stuart, FL, USA. acidity oils like DGS corn oil. But the main question In the transition for enzymatic biodiesel from to answer is how to make the enzymatic process lab/pilot scale to commercial scale, not only does cost-efficient enough to compete with the other the catalytic reaction need to be evaluated, but the routes. Some comparisons are made and examples supporting unit operations need also be optimized given to illustrate the true potential of the enzymatic to make enzymatic biodiesel a real option for process. biodiesel production. Many of these processes are 2 Abstracts 105th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo May 4-May 7, 2014 BIO 1.1/S&D 1.1: Merging Biology and Surfactants Chairs: D.G. Hayes, University of Tennessee, USA; G.A. Smith, Huntsman Corp., USA; and D. Solaiman, USDA, ARS, ERRC, USA Sophorolipids: Microbial Synthesis and and expanding the structure. Biotechnological Opportunities. I.N.A. Van Bogaert Starmerella bombicola glycosylates long-chain and W. Soetaert, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. omega-hydroxy fatty acids and it also directly Sophorolipids are surfactants which are glycosylates secondary alcohols. Although it is produced by specific yeast species, such as difficult to directly glycosylate primary alcohols, they Starmerella bombicola. Thanks to the high yields of are easily converted to the corresponding fatty acid. this biological process (over 400 g/L can be obtained) To redirect unconventional substrates toward APG and the environmentally friendly character of these synthesis, the long-chain alcohol oxidation pathway biosurfactants, they caught the attention of several was blocked at the genome level by knocking out the academic institutes and later on companies. Indeed, fatty alcohol