In the present work, lipases from Candida antarctica (CALB), Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) and Rhizomucor
miehei (RML) were covalently immobilized on epoxy-functionalized silica. The immobilized lipases
were used to produce biodiesel by transesterification of canola oil with methanol. It was found that
lipases immobilized on silica provided biocatalyst derivatives with lower cost compared with the cost
of commercially available Novozym 435. Thermal stability of the immobilized derivatives and the influence
of methanol on the catalytic activity were also evaluated. Optimum oil to methanol ratio at 1:3 was
observed for CALB and RML in biodiesel production; the corresponding fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)
yields obtained after 96 h were 68% and 45% at 50 ◦C respectively. The lipase from T. lanuginosus immobilized
on epoxy-functionalized silica displayed particularly high catalytic ability regarding reaction rate
and final yield. TLL also gave high FAME contents in the reaction mixture with up to 6 molar equivalents
of methanol to oil (98%). The immobilized TLL was quite stable and can be reused for 16 cycles without
significant loss in activity (5%). The immobilized preparations of RML and CALB also presented a good
reusability, keeping 85% of their initial activities after 16 cycles of the reaction.