# Enzymatic Degumming of Soybean Oil for Raw Material Preparation in BioFuel Production
###### Abstract  
The paper investigates the process of degumming substandard soybean oil using an enzyme complex of phospholipases to prepare it as a feedstock for biodiesel production. Dehumidification is an important refining step aimed at reducing the phosphorus content, which exceeds the permissible limits according to ASTM, EN, and ISO standards, by removing phospholipids. The enzyme complex of phospholipases includes phospholipase C, which specifically targets phosphatidyl, and phospholipase A2, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of phospholipids into water-soluble phosphates and lysophospholipids. This process contributes to the efficient removal of phospholipids, increased neutral oil yield, and reduced residual oil in the humic phase. The use of an enzyme complex of phospholipases provides an innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method of oil purification. The results of the study demonstrate the high efficiency of using the phospholipase enzyme complex in the processing of substandard soybean oil, which allows reducing the content of total phosphorus to 0.001% by weight, turning it into a high-quality raw material for biodiesel production. The proposed approach contributes to increasing the profitability of agricultural raw materials and the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies in the field of renewable energy. BioFuel; soybean oil; degumming; phospholipids
dis-posal [7; 8; 9]. As a biotechnological alternative to traditional methods of degumming, enzymatic degumming has been actively implemented in recent decades, which provides deeper cleaning with lower losses and environmental burden. In particular, [PERSON] et al. [5] demonstrated that enzymatic degumming provides a reduction in wastewater volumes and oil losses, as well as a reduction in the use of reagents (phosphoric acid, soda), which ultimately reduces operating costs. [PERSON] et al. [10] also indicated environmental benefits, in particular a reduction in the phosphate load on treatment systems and a simplification of filtration stages. A commonly used chemical treatment involves conditioning the oil with phosphoric acid, followed by neutralization with caustic soda and multi-stage separation. The pro-cess provides effective removal of phospholipids but is accompanied by high oil losses (up to 3%) due to emulsification of soap and oil. In addition, large volumes of wastewater with a high phosphate content are generated, which require complex treatment [10; 11; 12; 13]. A hybrid modern degumming technology has also been developed, which includes acid treatment of the oil with the addition of 85% phosphoric acid, which provides a pH reduc-tion of 3.8-4.2 for Quara LowP and 4.5-5.5 for Lecitase Ultra, and a subsequent enzymatic reaction with the addition of water (5%) and the enzymes Quara LowP or Lecitase Ultra [10]. The use of enzymes such as phospholipase-A1, commercially known as Quara LowP and Lecitase Ultra, allows the conversion of non-hydrated phospholipids into hydrated forms. This process is selective, which ensures a reduction in oil loss [14; 15; 16]. This method is effective in achieving phosphorus levels of <10 ppm but requires the use of acid to sta-bilize the pH level, high energy, and reagent consumption. In addition, the process lasts 4 h, which lengthens the overall production cycle. Of particular interest is the immobilization of phospholipases on solid supports (chitosan, calcium alginate, polymer gels), which provides multiple uses of the enzyme, improves its stability to temperature and pH, and also simplifies the purification of the final product from protein residues [17; 18; 19]. This opens up new prospects for scaling up enzymatic degumming in industrial conditions with high requirements for environmental friendliness and economic efficiency.