(713c) Immobilized Lipase in Emulsion-Filled Alginate Bead (EFAB) for Production of Butyl Butyrate in Aqueous Media

Esterification of organic acids and alcohols is conventionally conducted in organic media or emulsion systems with reversed micelles. Nevertheless, esterification substrates originated from fermentation are usually present in aqueous media in which esterification is very inefficient due to thermodynamic constraints. To overcome this hurdle, we have developed emulsion-filled alginate beads (EFAB) with immobilized lipase for the purpose of esterification in aqueous media. When butanol and butyric acid are used as substrates in 3:1 ratio, our result shows that around 26.6% conversion (based on butyl butyrate production) can be attained. In contrast, lipase immobilized in alginate bead without emulsion phase yields trace amount of product under the same condition. In this presentation, we will also discuss further optimization of enzyme loading, temperature, pH, organic phase quantity in the emulsion, as well as the possibility of a continuous process. This study demonstrates the potential of EFAB for esterification in aqueous media which is previously deemed impractical.