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Title: LESQUERELLA OIL AND DERIVATIVES FOR INDUSTRIAL USES: ENZYMATIC PROCESS FORLESQUEROLIC ACID PRODUCTION

Author
item Carlson, Kenneth
item HAYES, DOUGLAS - UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
item Kleiman, Robert

Submitted to: Annual Lesquerella Field Day
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/25/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Epoxidation of lesquerella oil yields reactive chemical intermediates with both hydroxyl and epoxy functionalities. Since rigid polyurethane foams have been made directly from the oil, these intermediates also may prove useful for such polymer applications. However, full use of lesquerella oil requires a process for production of hydroxy fatty acids (HFA) from the mixed seed oil fatty acids (FFA). Preparative-scale chromatography of FFA methyl esters enabled us to acquire hundreds of grams of pure lesquerella HFA (98% lesquerolic), which when hydrogenated provided 14-hydroxy- eicosanoic acid for the preparation of a large selection of lithium greases. An enriched HFA fraction (>80%) has also been isolated by high- vacuum molecular distillation of the FFA, a process with industrial-scale potential. Yields from such a process are still uncertain until the thermal and oxidative stability of the unique mix of lesquerella FFA is better understood. We recently showed that HFA are preferentially released during hydrolysis of lequerella oil by immobilized 1,3-specific lipases (LipozymeTM, Rhizomucor miehei). The released FFA are highly enriched in lesquerolic acid (75-80%). A separation process called SAPEX was devised, which isolates the HFA, and permits recycling of unhydrolyzed oil and partial glycerides for further lipolysis. The HFA were converted to several lesquerolate wax esters and to esters derived from diols such as a,w-octanediol and a,w-decanediol. The esterification reactions were catalyzed by the same immobilized lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme).