Studies on the Production of Methyl Esters from Fungal Degradation of Soybean Oil and Mechanism of Reaction
Journal of Industrial Technology, Vol. 2(1), p. 1-13, 2017
13 Pages Posted: 23 Jan 2017 Last revised: 31 Jan 2017
Date Written: January 20, 2017
Abstract
The study focused on producing methylesters from fungal degradation of soybean oil using lignocellulose biomass as surface. The methylesters can be used as biodiesel, an alternative energy source. The fungal degradation of Soybean oil by cellulolytic fungus (yeast) using banana leaves as a surface to produce methylester was carried out at optimum operational conditions of concentration and temperature. Bioliquid extraction from the degradation products was carried out for the soybean oil by soxhlet extraction, followed by the separation of the bioliquid into soluble and insoluble components by precipitation. The soluble components of bioliquid was separated into five fractions by column chromatographic method. Urea and thiourea technique was carried out on the first fraction to recover a high yield of the degradation product. GC-MS analysis was then carried out on the urea and thiourea adducts and four methyl esters were confirmed. They were; hexadecanoic acid methylester; 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid methylester; 9-octadecenoic acid methylester and octadecanoic acid methylester. The result of the research shows that it is possible to produce methylesters from soybean oil by fungal degradation using banana leaves as surface. The proposed mechanism was in line with the pathways through which the products were formed.
Keywords: Biodiesel; Methylesters; Soybean Oil; Fungal Degradation; Renewable Energy; Lignocellulose
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