Diesel fuel as a solvent for the lipase-catalyzed alcoholysis of triglycerides and phosphatidylcholine

The abilities of three commercially available lipases: Lipozyme IM 20, Amano PS-30, and Amano CE; to synthesize fatty acid ethyl esters via the alcoholysis of soy triglycerides (TG) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) in grade no. 2 diesel fuel were investigated. All three enzyme preparations were active in water-saturated diesel fuel, synthesizing fatty acid esters from both TG and PC. For all three enzymes, optimal activities toward TG occurred at added water concentration of less than 0.3 M. For both substrates the enzyme activities were generally reduced as ethanol concentration rose. The activities of Lipozyme and CE toward PC were similar to one another, and PS-30 was considerably less active on this substrate.