Microemulsion-Based Organogels as an Efficient Support for Lipase-Catalyzed Reactions under Continuous-Flow Conditions

In this work, microemulsion-based organogels (MBGs) containing lipase are reported as an efficient catalytic system for monoacylglyceride (MAG) synthesis. More specifically, Candida antarctica lipase B (CaLB) was immobilized on an MBG matrix (MBGCaLB) formed with (hydroxypropyl)methyl cellulose as a gelling agent, and this catalyst revealed high conversion yields (expressed in grams of ester per hour per gram of enzyme) under both batch and continuous-flow conditions. Under flow conditions, 1:1 stearic acid/solketal (100 mM in n-heptane) could be converted to protected MAG (>99%) in a residence time of 11 min at 45 °C. A recycle study showed that the MBGCaLB system can be recycled 15 times without activity loss, a number 2 times higher than under batch conditions catalyzed by immobilized lipase, in agreement with green chemistry protocols.