Continuous reaction-separation process for enzymatic esterification in supercritical carbon dioxide.

The study of enzymatic esterification by an immobilized lipase in supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO(2)) and in n-hexane, described in our previous works, was extended to continuous operation in a tubular fixed bed. The modeling of the reaction vessel operation was achieved through the use of the simple plug flow model coupled with the appropriate kinetic equation. Comparison with experiments proved to be satisfactory. The study of the postreactional separation, an important feature when using SCCO(2), was undertaken experimentally and good selectivities and product recovery were obtained. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.