Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Residual Soybean Oil with Simultaneous Separation Using Membrane

Abstract

This study investigates the simultaneous separation process using a batch reactor coupled to a cellulose acetate membrane for the enzymatic hydrolysis of residual soybean oil. The membrane was manufactured with 30 s pre-evaporation time and 1-mm thickness. Their morphologies and wettability were analyzed. Pichia pastoris lipase was characterized based on temperature and pH and was applied to the hydrolysis of residual soybean oil at 45 °C and pH 7 in batches, with and without simultaneous separation. The results show that the process efficiency with the cellulose acetate membrane resulted in 55.58 % ± 2.78 % free fatty acids in enzymatic hydrolysis, compared with 39.72 % ± 1.99 % without the membrane. The membrane also achieved 100 % oil rejection.