Production of Chemoenzymatic Catalyzed Monoepoxide Biolubricant : Optimization and Physicochemical Characteristics

Abstract EN

Linoleic acid (LA) is converted to per-carboxylic acid catalyzed by an immobilized lipase from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435).

This per-carboxylic acid is only intermediate and epoxidized itself in good yields and almost without consecutive reactions.

Monoepoxide linoleic acid 9(12)-10(13)-monoepoxy 12(9)-octadecanoic acid (MEOA) was optimized using D-optimal design.

At optimum conditions, higher yield% (82.14) and medium oxirane oxygen content (OOC) (4.91%) of MEOA were predicted at 15 μL of H2O2, 120 mg of Novozym 435, and 7 h of reaction time.

In order to develop better-quality biolubricants, pour point (PP), flash point (FP), viscosity index (VI), and oxidative stability (OT) were determined for LA and MEOA.

The results showed that MEOA exhibited good low-temperature behavior with PP of −41°C.

FP of MEOA increased to 128°C comparing with 115°C of LA.

In a similar fashion, VI for LA was 224 generally several hundred centistokes (cSt) more viscous than MEOA 130.8.

The ability of a substance to resist oxidative degradation is another important property for biolubricants.

Therefore, LA and MEOA were screened to measure their OT which was observed at 189 and 168°C, respectively.