BIODIESEL FUEL PRODUCTION FROM MICROALGAE OIL BY APPLYING ENZYMATIC TRANSESTERIFICATION WITH ETHANOL

Rapeseed is currently the main raw material for biodiesel production in Europe. The search for new raw materials is very important for the increase of biodiesel fuel production volume. Microalgae are one of alternatives for biodiesel fuel production. In this research, transesterification of microalgae Chlorella sp. oil with ethanol by applying the biotechnological method has been studied. The effectiveness of seven commercial lipases was evaluated. The most effective lipase Lipolase 100 L was selected for optimization of reaction conditions. The influence of main process parameters, including the ethanol to oil molar ratio, lipase amount and process duration on transesterification yield was evaluated. The results revealed, that process duration and amount of lipase affected the transesterification yield mostly. The biodiesel yield higher than 96.5 % could be obtained when ethanol and oil molar ratio in reaction mixture is 8:1, process duration - 24 hours, lipase amount - 8 %.