Modelling of Lipase Catalysed Transesterification Reactions

Abstract

Transesterification of substituted ethanols with ethyl acetate is studied in the presence of two different lipases. The steric bulk of the substituent group plays a more important role than the electronic factors in the reaction. The reversible reaction is modelled mathematically, and the rate parameters in the model estimated by a transient parameter estimation procedure. The effect of lipase quantity, reaction temperature and substrate concentration on the reaction is studied independently. Product quantity exhibits a maxima for increasing substrate concentration which is modelled successfully with a substrate product inhibition model, and compared with the experimental data

Key Words:

• Lipase catalysis
• mathematical modelling
• substrate inhibition
• transesterification