Patent ID: 7666666

Claim:
An apparatus for producing alkyl ester comprising: a first reactor having an inlet to receive a mixture comprising a first reactant, a second reactant, a reaction product, and an inert solvent that dissolves at least a portion of the first and second reactants, an enzyme to facilitate a reaction between the first and second reactants to generate more reaction product, and an outlet to output the reaction product, including the reaction product received at the inlet and the reaction product generated from the reaction between the first and second reactants; a separator which is fed with the reaction product from the outlet of the first reactor, and outputs a crude reaction product including alkyl ester and glycerol, the separator including an evaporator and a liquid-liquid phase separator; the liquid-liquid phase separator separating the alkyl ester from the glycerol; and a return mechanism to send a portion of the alkyl ester output from the separator back to the inlet.