Biodiesel Production Catalyzed by Fungus Cell Immobilization in Fibrous Support
B. Nagaraj, P. Liny*, P. Sreedhar Reddy, N.B. Krishnamurthy, D. Jhansi Rani and V. B. Mazumdar1Department of Biotechnology, Shridevi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Tumkur, Karnataka - 572 106 India. 2Department of Biotechnology, Nagarjuna College of Engineering and Technology, Bangalore, Karnataka - 572 110 India.
Abstract: Biodiesel are monoalkyl esters of long-chain fatty acids, preferentially methyl and ethyl esters, derived from renewable feedstock, such as vegetable oils or animal fats. Its properties are close to diesel fuels, and therefore biodiesel becomes a strong candidate to replace the diesel fuel. Biodiesel can also be used as a low carbon alternative to heating oil. Rhizopus Oryzae fungus cells have been demonstrated to efficiently catalyze the methanolysis of vegetable oils for biodiesel production in solvent-free systems. To efficiently reuse the whole cell biocatalyst, the cells can be immobilized on a nonwoven fabric. In contrast to extracellular lipase, no enzyme purification and immobilization steps are required when preparing the immobilized whole cell biocatalysts since cell immobilization could be achieved spontaneously during cell growth
Keywords: Biodiesel; Rhizopus oryzae; fungus cells; whole cell biocatalyst; immobilization Back to TOC