Eco-friendly isopropyl myristate production in a fixed bed reactor: Leveraging energy-saving enzymatic techniques with a comprehensive evaluation of techno-economic feasibility

This study aims to develop a straightforward, eco-friendly, and energy-saving approach for producing isopropyl myristate (IPM) through lipase-catalyzed esterification in a fixed bed reactor. The reaction between isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid was catalyzed using Novozym 435. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was utilized to examine the interaction of various reaction parameters on the yield of IPM. The highest observed and predicted conversion rates were 95 % and 94.2 %, respectively. The optimum conditions included a molar ratio of isopropyl alcohol to myristic acid of 15:1, a time of 12 h, and a flow rate of 1.25 ml/min. The synthesized IPM was isolated and comprehensively characterized using GC–MS, FTIR, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR techniques. To further validate the applicability of this method, a Process Simulation Diagram (PSD) was developed using ASPEN PLUS software to simulate IPM production under the optimized conditions. Economic analysis revealed a positive net present value (NPV) of $169,664,820.33 and a return on investment (ROI) of 536.52 %, indicating that this sustainable approach offers low investment risks and high profitability.