engleski

Sustainability of process options for enzymatic packed bed flow reactors at relevant scale and future role of ‘spaciants’

Biodiesel production technology is a good test case for enabling technologies. It is commercial, yet far from being a breakthrough business. It can still be further intensified by faster mass transfer across larger specific liquid phase boundaries (between the biodiesel reactants, alcohol and oil) and smart catalyst can enable the use of more sustainable base materials / feedstocks. Microreactors make the first happen, whereas enzymes (and cells) as biocatalysts open door concerning the last issue. So far mainly, isolated approaches with either microreactors or enzymes were reported. To our best know-ledge, no commercial transfer has been reached and no demonstration of sustainability was achieved. Question thus is what the combination of the two – the bio flow chemistry – offers as intrinsic potential. Starting from an overview of today’s industrial biodiesel production, the advantages and disadvantages of the lipase catalyzed transesterification process in microreactors as chosen case of study are discussed and a cost analysis of biodiesel production in enzyme packed-bed microreactors is given [1]. It is shown that the enzyme fixation, i.e. the choice of cost-efficient polymeric supports to which the enzymes anchor, is the most decisive point in the sustainability profile. This outperforms even the otherwise so relevant parameters as activity retention after immobilization and enzyme stability in immobilized state (cycle time). This clearly shows that the supporting materials commonly in use, such as the Eupergit polymeric resin, are far from commercial use at relevant scale [1]. Thus, a pretty cost-efficient polymer is proposed, SEPABEADS EC-EP - Oxirane support, which is only available since recently and thus could not receive wide attention for enzyme fixation [2]. Own experiments confirm a successful immobilization strategy (immobilization efficiency, retention) with that polymer and ability for efficient reaction (yield). This enables to use cheaper starting material, i.e. sunflower and waste oil as opposed to the more expensive commonly used rapeseed oil. The cost profile of various intensified process options will be shown. The just started (01/17) FET Open project ONE-FLOW could mark a further dimension of intensification hereabout, by providing an entirely new systemic innovation on a process-design scale [3]. ‘The Green-Solvent Spaciant Factory’ is here proposed. Green functional master solvents allow to open and close interim reaction spaces alike reactors do, but more elegantly ; thus, being named spaciants. In this way, the reaction is intensified and, more importantly, the separation as well. With the concept itself being presented, some thoughts will be given of useful process functions for the enzymatic continuous biodiesel case.

biodiesel, microreactors, Green-Solvent Spaciant Factory, cost analysis

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