Tandem transformation of glycerol to esters.

Tandem transformation of glycerol via microbial fermentation and enzymatic esterification is presented. The reaction can be performed with purified waste glycerol from biodiesel production in a continuous mode, combining continuous fermentation with membrane-supported enzymatic esterification. Continuous anaerobic fermentation was optimized resulting in the productivity of 2.4 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹ of 1,3-propanediol. Biphasic esterification of 1,3-propanediol was optimized to achieve ester yield of up to 75%. A hollow fibre membrane contactor with immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase was demonstrated for the continuous tandem fermentation-esterification process.