A new, light-driven process could enable the transformation of waste food oil into biodiesel using enzymes.
Waste food oils are a complicated mix of triglycerides, fatty acids, and glycerol, as well as moisture and insoluble impurities. Compared to refined vegetable oils, waste oils are an inexpensive feedstock for biofuels, but the production process can be difficult. Waste oils are converted to biodiesel via transesterification in the presence of alcohol, often using a catalyst. However, the free fatty acid portion of the oil must undergo acid-catalyzed esterification as a pretreatment step, which complicates the process.
Now, researchers have developed a new process for biodiesel production that handles these fatty acids with enzymes and decarboxylation. These enzymes belong to a family called cytochrome P450s, which can perform biocatalytic transformations. Their high degree of customizability means they have found applications in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and fragrances. They haven’t previously found much foothold in the synthesis of biofuels, however. The long fatty acid chains in many oily waste products are soluble in organic solvents but don’t dissolve in water. Unfortunately, water would be a preferred solvent for reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P450s, which have a low tolerance for organic solvents.
Researchers Mayara Chagas de Avila, Ricardo Rodrigues de Melo, and Leticia Maria...
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