Ionic liquid synergistic effect between preparation of hybrid supports and immobilization of lipase applied to esters production

The present work aims to evaluate the synergistic effect of imidazolium-based ionic liquids (IL) in the preparation and immobilization of Burkholderia cepacia lipase in a new hybrid support of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and silica. In addition, these biocatalysts were applied in transesterification reactions of crude coconut oil for the production of ethyl esters. Lipase immobilized on hybrid support with [C4min][NTf2] or [C6min][NTf2] ionic liquid exhibited nearly ≈ 1.6-fold immobilization yield greater than IB-Control. The use of IL during the preparation of the hybrid support promoted changes in its morphological structure as presented by B.E.T. and FTIR. Thermogravimetric analyzes were used to characterize the prepared derivatives and support the results of immobilization yields and the synergic effect of IL used. Transesterification reactions applying biocatalysts showed that the conversion maximum in esters (59%) was found under conditions of molar ratio 1:7 (oil:ethanol) in 72 h of reaction. These results were obtained using [C4min][NTf2] during the preparation of the hybrid support for the immobilization of Burkholderia cepacia lipase, thus showing the potential of these new biocatalysts.