Features of enzymatic hydrolysis of castor oil

Abstract

A ricinoleic acid is produced by hydrolysis of a castor oil. A ricinoleic acid is used in medicine, veterinary medicine and as feed for organic synthesis of various valuable products. A promising way to obtain ricinoleic acid is enzymatic hydrolysis of castor oil, allowing to carry out the hydrolysis in mild conditions in the temperature range 35–45 °C, and without high pressure. The possibility of enzymatic hydrolysis of castor oil by lipase from Candida rugosa in the system «oil – water» without emulsifier is shown in the article. The method of hydrolysis in the absence of emulsifiers, which simplifies the process of separation of the expected product (a mixture of free fatty acids with a predominance of ricinoleic acid) and therefore process technology are offered. The used catalyst provide the environmental safety of the process. As a result of the pilot selection of hydrolysis conditions the 47 % yield of fatty acids was achieved.