Study of residence times distribution in a tubular reactor for the hydrolisis of soybean lecithin using immobilized A2 phospholipase

Abstract

The hydrolisis of soybean lecithin can be carried out by means of the use of immobilized A₂ phospholipase which releases a fatty acid of C-2 position of the phospholipids so that an enriched product in lysolecithins is obtained. The enzymatic reaction follows a first order kinetics when the substrate concentrations are in the range: 6.34•10^-3 M to 19.0•10^-3 M. The value of the rate constant: k= 9.88•10^-2 min^-1 corresponds to the one obtained for the immobilized enzyme on alumina. A reactor was constructed and alumina was the selected support because of its good mechanic properties and fundamentally because of its low cost. The flow behaviour in the reactor and how it departs from the ideal model of plug-flow was analyzed by injecting a NaCl solution of a well-known concentration (tracer) and then, passing it through the reactor. According to the experiences carried out, the conductivity measures proved adequate for the determination of the residence times. The system showed lineal behaviour. The residence times in the experimentally built reactor for different load arrangements (particle support + inert load) was analyzed by using three different flows. The nonconverted fractions for the reactor were calculated and differences in the output were observed, in comparison to the plug-flow reactor, precisely because of channelizations and shut-offs that are generated inside the column. Maximal conversion in the experiences carried out both with higher substrate concentrations and for a minor feed flow were achieved. The dispersion module resulted quite higher than the limit that introduces a gaussian curve, for the one for which the degree of supposition of high dispersion was correct. The reactor showed a behaviour similar to that of a reactor of complete mixture and it was concluded that the degree of back-mixing, the formation of whirls and zones of redistribution of material are important.