Comparison of two lipases in the hydrolysis of oil and grease in wastewater of the swine meat industry

Wastewaters of the meat industry usually present high contents of oil and fat, which present low biodegradability. Enzymatic hydrolysis may contribute to increase the biodegradation of fatty wastewaters, accelerating the treatment process. In this context, this work aimed to evaluate the enzymatic hydrolysis of wastewater of the swine meat industry. The effects of process variables on the hydrolysis were investigated. The performance of a commercial lipase (Lipolase 100T) was compared to a noncommercial lipase produced by solid-state fermentation (lipase SEP). Process kinetics showed that maximum hydrolysis was reached between 9 and 15 h of reaction. The conditions that maximize hydrolysis for each enzyme were established through statistical analysis of the results. The maximum conversion condition for lipase SEP yielded 100.1 mu mol of free acid/mL using 5.0% (w/v) enzyme at 45 degrees C, while Lipolase 100T yielded 52.1 mu mol of free acid/mL using the same enzyme amount but at 37.5 degrees C.