Utilization of fungal lipolytic enzymes in the biodiesel production from used cooking oil

Abstract

At this moment in which, considering the limitation of fossil fuels sources and the aggravation of the global heating due to excessive greenhouse gases emission, biodiesel is highlighted as a renewable and sustainable energy source, once it is obtained from transesterification reactions of triacylglycerols contained in vegetal oils with methanol or ethanol in the presence of catalysers. The use of ethanol (derived from the sugarcane and atoxic) instead of methanol (derived from petroleum and toxic) associated to the enzymatic catalysis (using lipase obtained by solid state fermentation) instead of chemical catalysis of used cooking and frying oils insted of virgins oils is shown as one of the most environmentally friend routes for the biodiesel production, once it allows a production chain provided by renewable inputs and agroindustrial by-products at all the steps. In this context, the objective of the current work is to apply lipases produced by fungi in solid cultivation for biodiesel production from the transesterification of used cooking oils reacting with ethanol. This project will be inserted in the research group in "Biotechnology and Bioenergy" from UFSCar campus Lagoa do Sino, integrating the research line "Aplication of lipolytic enzymes for biodiesel production", recently in development at the emerging center to which is linked , and will count on the cooperation of the research group in "Bioenergy and Environment" from Ibilce/UNESP, particularly of the researchers Prof. Dr. Roberto da Silva and Prof. Dr. Maurício Boscolo.