1. JCCT
  2. Ch&ChT Vol. 19, No. 4, 2025
  3. Enzymatic Degumming of Soybean, Rapeseed, and Sunflower Oils from Ukrainian Crops Using Purifine Enzymes

Enzymatic Degumming of Soybean, Rapeseed, and Sunflower Oils from Ukrainian Crops Using Purifine Enzymes

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Taras Havrak1, Andriy Karkhut1, Olha Poliak1, Yuriy Demchuk1, Yuriy Prysiazhnyi1, Yurii Lypko1, Iurii Sidun1, Andrii Semchuk1, Sviatoslav Polovkovych1, Volodymyr Gunka1
Affiliation: 
1 Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12 S.Bandery St., Lviv 79013, Ukraine olha.y.poliak@lpnu.ua
DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.23939/chcht19.04.761
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Keywords: 
enzymatic degumming
phospholipases
Purifine 3G
hydrotreated vegetable oil
fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters
phospholipids
vegetable oil
phosphorus
biofuel
multienzyme system
Abstract: 
This study investigates the efficiency of enzymatic degumming of crude soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower oils using Purifine® phospholipase C (PLC), phospholipase A1 (PLA₁), a lipase-modified component (LM), and the multienzyme complex Purifine® 3G (combining PLC, PLA₁, and LM activities), as well as their combinations. The primary objective is to achieve low residual phosphorus content (<5 ppm), which is essential for subsequent catalytic hydrotreatment in the production of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and for improving the efficiency of transesterification in the production of fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters (FAME/FAE). The degumming performance was evaluated based on the levels of phosphorus, sulfur, free fatty acids (FFA), and the dry mass of the gum phase. The highest efficiency was demonstrated by the Purifine® 3G system and the combination of PLC + PLA1 + LM, which provided deep purification, minimal loss of neutral oil, and stable FFA levels. Importantly, these enzymatic systems not only enabled residual phosphorus levels to be reduced below 5 ppm, but also significantly decreased sulfur content – from initial values of 60-100 ppm to final concentrations of 9-27 ppm, depending on the oil type. This sulfur reduction is particularly important for protecting hydrotreating catalysts and ensuring compliance with fuel standards such as EN 15940 and ASTM D975. The findings support the feasibility of enzymatic systems as a sustainable technology for the pretreatment of feedstocks for both second-generation (HVO) and first-generation (FAME) biofuel production, offering benefits in catalyst life, product purity, and process efficiency.
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