- High yield of wax ester synthesized from cetyl alcohol and octanoic acid by lipozyme RMIM and Novozym 435.
High yield of wax ester synthesized from cetyl alcohol and octanoic acid by lipozyme RMIM and Novozym 435.
Wax esters are long-chain esters that have been widely applied in premium lubricants, parting agents, antifoaming agents and cosmetics. In this study, the biocatalytic preparation of a specific wax ester, cetyl octanoate, is performed in n-hexane using two commercial immobilized lipases, i.e., Lipozyme(®) RMIM (Rhizomucor miehei) and Novozym(®) 435 (Candida antarctica). Response surface methodology (RSM) and 5-level-4-factor central composite rotatable design (CCRD) are employed to evaluate the effects of reaction time (1-5 h), reaction temperature (45-65 °C), substrate molar ratio (1-3:1), and enzyme amount (10%-50%) on the yield of cetyl octanoate. Using RSM to optimize the reaction, the maximum yields reached 94% and 98% using Lipozyme(®) RMIM and Novozym(®) 435, respectively. The optimum conditions for synthesis of cetyl octanoate by both lipases are established and compared. Novozym(®) 435 proves to be a more efficient biocatalyst than Lipozyme(®) RMIM.