journal article·2025-07-28Open access

Enzymatic Degumming of Soybean Oil for Raw Material Preparation in BioFuel Production

Sviatoslav Polovkovych, Andriy Karkhut, Volodymyr Gunka, Yaroslav Blikharskyy, Roman Nebesnyi, Semen Khomyak, Jacek Selejdak, Zinoviy Blikharskyy

Applied Sciences· Volume 15· Issue 15

Abstract

The paper investigates the process of degumming substandard soybean oil using an enzyme complex of phospholipases to prepare it as a feedstock for biodiesel production. Dehumidification is an important refining step aimed at reducing the phosphorus content, which exceeds the permissible limits according to ASTM, EN, and ISO standards, by re-moving phospholipids. The enzyme complex of phospholipases includes phospholipase C, which specifically targets phosphatidylinositol, and phospholipase A2, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of phospholipids into water-soluble phosphates and lysophospholipids. This process contributes to the efficient removal of phospholipids, increased neutral oil yield, and reduced residual oil in the humic phase. The use of an enzyme complex of phospholipases provides an innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method of oil purification. The results of the study demonstrate the high efficiency of using the phospholipase enzyme complex in the processing of substandard soybean oil, which allows reducing the content of total phosphorus to 0.001% by weight, turning it into a high-quality raw material for biodiesel production. The proposed approach contributes to increasing the profitability of agricultural raw materials and the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies in the field of renewable energy.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Enzyme Catalysis and Immobilization · Biodiesel Production and Applications · Biofuel production and bioconversion

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine

Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Systems, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine

Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czestochowa University of Technology, 69 Street Dabrowskiego, 42-201 Czestochowa, Poland

Funding

National Research Foundation of Ukraine

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