Kinetic modelling of the production of methyl oleate by Celite® supported lipase sol–gels

This study illustrates the benefits of Celite® supported lipase sol–gels for the transesterification of triolein to produce methyl oleate. A ping–pong bi–bi kinetic model was developed and validated taking into account the inhibition effects of methanol and glycerol as well as the effect of temperature. Although initial reaction rate models are useful for predicting the kinetics in the absence of products, a kinetic model beyond the initial conditions that considers glycerol inhibition is important. The model developed was consistent with the experimental data (R2=0.95) predicting an increase in methyl oleate production with increasing methanol concentration up to an optimal range of 1.3M to 2.0M depending on the temperature. In general, increasing the temperature increased the initial reaction rate for the immobilized lipase over the temperature range of 40–60°C. Based on the kinetic constants, the maximum velocity of the reverse reaction is about 25% slower than that of the forward reaction and glycerol inhibition has a more significant effect on the reaction kinetics than methanol inhibition. The model developed would be useful for understanding the effects of methanol and glycerol inhibition as well as temperature on the production of methyl oleate using lipase-mediated enzymatic transesterification.