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Biodiesel represents an interesting alternative to fossil fuels. Traditionally the standard method for biodiesel production from oils is alkaline - catalyzed transesterification. Chemical catalysis can be replaced by enzymatic catalysis using lipases (EC 3.1.1.3, triacylglycerol acyl hydrolases), obtained from plants, animals or microorganisms. Enzymatic catalysis has important advantages compared to chemical catalysis, as lower energy consumption and undesirable side-reactions do not occur originating pure compounds. However, some problems should be overcome to achieve a real alternative to chemical catalysis, such as the prize, the stability, and the reutilization of the biocatalyst.

The review consists of an update of the state of the art of enzymatic biodiesel production, including legislation, feedstocks, lipases used for biodiesel synthesis, the role of acyl acceptors and strategies to avoid lipase …