Enzymatic biodiesel synthesis using novel process intensification principles

The global dependency on fossil fuels for energy generation has major implications for the environment, of which global climate change due to CO2 emissions is among the most serious. The use of alternative energy sources is one of the solutions and global activities are ongoing to develop and implement the most suitable technologies. One of the possibilities is the use of biomass as input for energy generation, biofuels and biobased chemicals. Of the many biomass sources, plant oils have received high attention, particularly for biodiesel production. This application also has high potential for developing countries looking for alternatives for fossil fuels to reduce dependency and to green up the economy. In this thesis, investigations are described to green up the current biodiesel production process by (i) using enzymes and (ii) apply modern process integration concepts. The proof of concept for the use of both soluble and immobilised enzymes in continuously operated, highly intensified devices for reaction and separation is described. The process leads to less waste, higher production rates and allows for recycle/reuse of the enzyme, which is of high importance for the biodiesel industry. Due to the compact size of the reactor/separator, the process seems particularly suited for application in small scale mobile biodiesel units in developing countries.