Patent ID: 8580986

Claim:
A process for the production of fatty acid lower alkyl esters according to formula (I) R 1 CO—OR 2 (I) wherein R 1 CO represents a linear or branched acyl moiety having from about 6 to about 22 carbon atoms and 0 to 6 double bonds, and wherein R 2 is a linear or branched alkyl moiety having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, by transesterification of triglycerides or fatty acid esters using C 1 -C 6 aliphatic alcohols, comprising: (a) providing an aqueous mixture of an aliphatic C 1 -C 6 alcohol by fermenting in a first reactor a carbon source comprising carbohydrates and/or glycerol to produce a fermentation broth of said aliphatic C 1 -C 6 alcohol containing 5 to 30% by weight aliphatic C 1 -C 6 alcohol and 70 to 95% by weight water, (b) providing in a second reactor a triglyceride and/or an ester of a fatty acid, together with a biocatalyst capable of effecting a transesterification reaction immobilized on a carrier, wherein the biocatalyst is a lipase from Candida parapsilosis or Candida albicans , and is capable of effecting a transesterification reaction with fermentation alcohols comprising only up to 30% b.w. of water when not immobilized on the carrier, (c) transferring said fermentation broth obtained from said first reactor into said second reactor to provide a two-phase system, and (d) effecting the transesterification reaction in said second reactor to produce said fatty acid lower alkyl ester and a glycerol- or alcohol-containing aqueous phase.