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Background: Biodiesel has been shown to be effectively produced by immobilized enzymatic catalysts. The selection of support material is a prominent factor for obtaining an efficient lipase. Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural polymer produced by glands of some arthropods, especially by the Bombyx mor, attracting attention for immobilization of lipase. Objective: This paper presents a novel method to obtain silk microfibers (SMF) from Oxone® salt in water, used as support for Amano AK lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens in biodiesel production from deodorization distillate of palm oil (DDPO). Method: The oxone® salt in the presence of Ca2+ ions acts as a mineralizing agent in the peptide bonds present in silk fibroin, altering some of its physical and chemical properties, such as zeta potential, crystallinity, micro-morphology, infrared spectroscopic profile, and showing formation or absence of SF original connections. Results: The modified support was tested as a support alternative for the immobilization of Amano AK lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens. Enzyme activity values indicated that lipase immobilization on SMF was efficient as a heterogeneous catalyst in the esterification of DDPO (deodorization distillate palm oil). Conclusion: The effect of some reaction parameters, such as catalyst concentration, molar ratio, temperature, and reaction time, was studied to optimize the conditions for maximum conversion of DDPO (40.5%).

Palm fatty acid distillate PFAD is an example of potential low-cost palm biofuel second generation feedstock, most used as a source of fatty acid for non-food applications in industry. Catalytic application of Oxone® salt was used in the present study for the esterification reaction of PFAD for biodiesel production for the first time. After optimizing the conversion rate, was possible to observe that, among the process variables studied [Oxone® concentration (%), temperature (°C) and reaction time (h)], Oxone® concentration was the only significant variable for the fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) generation response variable. A > 90% conversion rate was reached with 15% Oxone® at 42 °C, using a PFAD:ethanol molar ratio of 1:5 at 12 h reaction time. The reaction system has a series of advantages, such as mild conditions, simple operation, green and high conversion. As alternative for make the biodiesel production as sustainable as possible.