Abstract
The enzymatic esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) from waste cooking oil (WCO) and octanol in a solvent free medium has been investigated. A statistical experimental design method (Taguchi L9 orthogonal array) was implemented to optimize the experimental conditions to maximize conversion of FFA to the corresponding octyl esters. The optimum conditions inferred from the Taguchi analyses were: temperature=60°C, Novozyme 435=5wt% of FFA, molar ratio of octanol:FFA=2.5:1 and reaction time=3h. The product octyl ester was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR and 13C-NMR). The physico-chemical properties of the waste cooking oil and the product ester (developed from WCO) were determined following standard methods. The results revealed that the developed octyl esters have improved viscosity index, pour point, flash point and oxidation stability when compared to that of the raw material (WCO). Moreover the product is biodegradable (>90% biodegradability). Thus the synthesized octyl esters have shown potential to be used as an environment-friendly biolubricant base-oil.
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