Solubilization of methanol and triglycerides: Unsaturated long-chain fatty alcohol/medium-chain alkanol mixed amphiphile systems

This work examines the suitability of unsaturated C₁₈ fatty alcohol/1-alkanol mixed amphiphile systems as solubility enhancers for methanol in triglyceride solutions. Four fatty alcohols (all-cis monoene, diene and triene, and all-trans diene) and five alkanols (C₄−C₁₂) were investigated. Effects of the degree of unsaturation and configuration of the double bonds in the fatty alcohol tailgroup and the chainlength of the alkanol tailgroup were examined. Ternary equilibrium diagrams showed that addition of fatty alcohol/alkanol amphiphiles dramatically affect miscibility between methanol and triglyceride. Solubility, kinematic and relative viscosity, and refractive index data were analyzed to determine mechanisms responsible for the apparent solubilization effects. Under most experimental conditions, formation of large micellar aggregates of amphiphiles was unlikely, and the results were consistent with those expected for co-solvency. However, some viscosity and refractive index data showed that formation of large methanol-in-amphiphile aggregates resembling a nonaqueous microemulsion was feasible, but under limited conditions.     

Lipase‐catalyzed alcoholysis of vegetable oils

Fatty acid alkyl esters were produced from various vegetable oils by transesterification with different alcohols using immobilized lipases. Using n‐hexane as organic solvent, all immobilized lipases tested were found to be active during methanolysis. Highest conversion (97%) was observed with Thermomyces lanuginosa lipase after 24 h. In contrast, this lipase was almost inactive in a solvent‐free reaction medium using methanol or 2‐propanol as alcohol substrates. This could be overcome by a three‐step addition of methanol, which works efficiently for a range of vegetable oils (e.g. cottonseed, peanut, sunflower, palm olein, coconut and palm kernel) using immobilized lipases from Pseudomonas fluorescens (AK lipase) and Rhizomucor miehei (RM lipase). Repeated batch reactions showed that Rhizomucor miehei lipase was very stable over 120 h. AK and RM lipases also showed acceptable conversion levels for cottonseed oil with ethanol, 1‐propanol, 1‐butanol and isobutanol (50‐65% conversion after 24 h) in solvent‐free conditions. Methyl and isopropyl fatty acid esters obtained by enzymatic alcoholysis of natural vegetable oils can find application in biodiesel fuels and cosmetics industry, respectively.     

Alkanol-Induced Micelles of a Very Hydrophilic EO–PO–EO Block Copolymer: Characterization by Spectral and Scattering Methods

The aqueous solution behavior of a PEO–PPO–PEO block copolymer (EO₁₀₃PO₃₉EO₁₀₃), was investigated in the presence of aliphatic alkanols (C₂, C₄, C₆ and C₈). The non-associated polymer chains remain extremely hydrated in water, but aggregation in the form of spherical micelles was evidenced, triggered by the interaction of polymer chains with hydrophobic alkanol. We assume that the hydrophobic interaction between the PPO block of the copolymer and alkanol promotes micellization, which increases further with the introduction of higher chain length species. The critical micellization temperature (CMT), as measured by UV–visible spectroscopy, indicates an interaction of polymer chains with the alkanol bearing a higher chain length, which triggers aggregation. The micelles were characterized by small angle neutron scattering to elucidate the size and related micellar parameters. The gradual increase in the alkanol content increases the aggregation number, though the micelles were spherical in shape. We conclude that ethanol, due to its preferential solubility in the aqueous phase, does not affect the aggregation. The alkanols with chain lengths of C₄–C₈ chain, interact with the PPO block through hydrophobic interaction and shifts the CMTs to lower values. The combined effect of inorganic salt (NaCl) and alkanols show enhanced micellar properties.     

A fourier transform infrared spectroscopic method for determining butylated hydroxytoluene in palm olein and palm oil

A simple, rapid, and direct FTIR spectroscopic method was developed for the determination of BHT content in refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm olein and RBD palm oil. The method used sodium chloride windows with a 50-mm transmission path. Fifty stripped oil samples of both RBD palm olein and RBD palm oil were spiked with known amounts of BHT concentrations up to 300 mg/kg (ppm). The data were separated into two sets for calibration and validation using partial least squares models. FTIR results for both oils correlated well with results obtained by the IUPAC HPLC-based method. For RBD palm olein, the coefficient of determination (R ²) was 0.9907 and the SE of calibration (SEC) was 8.47 ppm. For RBD palm oil, an R ² of 0.9848 and an SEC of 10.73 ppm were achieved. Because of the significant decrease in analysis time and reduction in solvent usage, this FTIR method for BHT is especially well suited for routine quality control applications in the palm oil industry.     

Composition and thermal profile of crude palm oil and its products

Gas-liquid chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to determine fatty acids and triglyceride (TG) compositions of crude palm oil (CPO), refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil, RBD palm olein, and RBD palm stearin, while their thermal profiles were analyzed by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The HPLC chromatograms showed that the TG composition of CPO and RBD palm oil were quite similar. The results showed that CPO, RBD palm oil, RBD olein, and superolein consist mainly of monosaturated and disaturated TG while RBD palm stearin consists mainly of disaturated and trisaturated TG. In DSC cooling thermograms the peaks of triunsaturated, monosaturated and disaturated TG were found at the range of −48.62 to −60.36, −25.89 to −29.19, and −11.22 to −1.69°C, respectively, while trisaturated TG were found between 13.72 and 27.64°C. The heating thermograms of CPO indicated the presence of polymorphs β₂′, α, β₂′, and β₁. The peak of CPO was found at 4.78°C. However, after refining, the peak shifted to 6.25°C and became smaller but more apparent as indicated by RBD palm oil thermograms. The heating and cooling thermograms of the RBD palm stearin were characterized by a sharp, high-melting point (high-T) peak temperature and a short and wide low-melting point (low-T) peak temperature, indicating the presence of occluded olein. However, for RBD palm olein, there was only an exothermic low-T peak temperature. The DSC thermograms expressed the thermal behavior of various palm oil and its products quite well, and the profiles can be used as guidelines for fractionation of CPO or RBD palm oil.     

Synthesis of Transesterified Palm Olein‐Based Polyol and Rigid Polyurethanes from this Polyol

Transesterification of palm olein with glycerol can increase the functionality by introducing additional hydroxyl groups to the triglyceride structure, an advantage compared to using palm olein directly as feedstock for producing palm‐based polyol. The objective of this study was to synthesize transesterified palm olein‐based polyol via a three‐step reaction: (1) transesterification of palm olein, (2) epoxidation and (3) epoxide ring opening. Transesterification of palm olein yielded approximately 78 % monoglyceride and has an hydroxyl value of approximately 164 mg KOH g^?1. The effect of formic acid and hydrogen peroxide concentrations on the epoxidation reaction was studied. The relationships between epoxide ring‐opening reaction time and residual oxirane oxygen content and hydroxyl value were monitored. The synthesized transesterified palm olein‐based polyol has hydroxyl value between 300 and 330 mg KOH g^?1 and average molecular weight between 1,000 and 1,100 Da. On the basis of the hydroxyl value and average molecular weight of the polyol, the transesterified palm olein‐based polyol is suitable for producing rigid polyurethane foam, which can be designed to exhibit desirable properties. Rigid polyurethane foams were synthesized by substituting a portion of petroleum‐based polyol with the transesterified palm olein‐based polyol. It was observed that by increasing the amount of transesterified palm olein‐based polyol, the core density and compressive strength were reduced but at the same time the insulation properties of the rigid polyurethane foam were improved.     

Determination of free fatty acids in crude palm oil and refined-bleached-deodorized palm olein using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

A rapid direct Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method using a 100 μ BaF₂ transmission cell was developed for the determination of free fatty acid (FFA) in crude palm oil (CPO) and refined-bleached-deodorized (RBD) palm olein, covering an analytical range of 3.0–6.5% and 0.07–0.6% FFA, respectively. The samples were prepared by hydrolyzing oil with enzyme in an incubator. The optimal calibration models were constructed based on partial least squares (PLS) analysis using the FTIR carboxyl region (C=O) from 1722 to 1690 cm⁻¹. The resulting PLS calibrations were linear over the range tested. The standard errors of calibration (SEC) obtained were 0.08% FFA for CPO with correlation coefficient (R ²) of 0.992 and 0.01% FFA for RBD palm olein with R ² of 0.994. The standard errors of performance (SEP) were 0.04% FFA for CPO with R ² of 0.998 and 0.006% FFA for RBD palm olein with R ² of 0.998, respectively. In terms of reproducibility (r) and accuracy (a), both FTIR and chemical methods showed comparable results. Because of its simpler and more rapid analysis, which is less than 2 min per sample, as well as the minimum use of solvents and labor, FTIR has an advantage over the wet chemical method.     

Preparation of diacylglycerol‐enriched palm olein by phospholipase A1‐catalyzed partial hydrolysis

Partial hydrolysis of palm olein catalyzed by phospholipase A₁ (Lecitase Ultra) in a solvent‐free system was carried out to produce diacylglycerol (DAG)‐enriched palm olein (DEPO). Four reaction parameters, namely, reaction time (2–10 h), water content (20–60 wt‐% of the oil mass), enzyme load (10–50 U/g of the oil mass), and reaction temperature (30–60 °C), were investigated. The optimal conditions for partial hydrolysis of palm olein catalyzed by Lecitase Ultra were obtained by an orthogonal experiment as follows: 45 °C reaction temperature, 44 wt‐% water content, 8 h reaction time, and an enzyme load of 34 U/g. The upper oil layer of the reaction mixture with an acid value of 54.26 ± 0.86 mg KOH/g was first molecularly distilled at 150 °C to yield a DEPO with 35.51 wt‐% of DAG. The DEPO was distilled again at 250 °C to obtain a DAG oil with 74.52 wt‐% of DAG. The composition of the acylglycerols of palm olein and the DEPO were analyzed and identified by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry. The released fatty acids from the partial hydrolysis of palm olein catalyzed by phospholipase A₁ showed a higher saturated fatty acid content than that of the raw material.     

Synergistic effects of rosemary, sage, and citric acid on fatty acid retention of palm olein during deep-fat frying

A study to optimize the use of oleoresin rosemary extract, sage extract, and citric acid in refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm olein during deep-fat frying of potato chips was performed using response surface methodology. Results showed that the natural antioxidants used in this study retarded oil deterioration, as evidenced by retention of fatty acid profiles. The linoleic to palmitic (C18∶2/C16∶0) ratio was chosen as the parameter for optimizing the use of natural antioxidants in RBD palm olein during deep-fat frying. Linoleic (R ²=0.946) and palmitic (R ²=0.825) acids were found to be the most important dependent variables, giving highest R ² values to various antioxidant treatments after 25 h of frying. All three antioxidants had independent significant (P<0.05) effects on the C18∶2/C16∶0 ratio. In fact, significant effects on the C18∶2/C16∶0 ratio of RBD palm olein were also given by a second-order form. A combination of 0.076% oleoresin rosemary extract, 0.066% sage extract, and 0.037% citric acid produced the optimal retention of the essential fatty acid C18∶2. In addition, a synergistic effect among these antioxidants on the fatty acid ratio of RBD palm olein was found.     

Effects of natural and synthetic antioxidants on changes in refined, bleached, and deodorized palm olein during deep-fat frying of potato chips

The effects of antioxidants on the changes in quality characteristics of refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm olein during deep-fat frying (at 180°C) of potato chips for 3.5 h/d for seven consecutive days in five systems were compared in this study. The systems were RBD palm olein without antioxidant (control), with 200 ppm butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), 200 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), 200 ppm oleoresin rosemary, and 200 ppm sage extract. Fried oil samples were analyzed for peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, iodine value (IV), free fatty acid (FFA) content, polymer content, viscosity, E^1% _{1 cm} at 232 and 268 nm, color, fatty acid composition, and C_18:2/C_16:0 ratio. Sensory quality of the potato chips fried in these systems prior to storage was also evaluated. The storage stability of fried potato chips for 14 wk at ambient temperature was also determined by means of the TBA values and sensory evaluation for rancid odor. Generally, in the oil, oleoresin rosemary gave the lowest rate of increase of TBA value, polymer content, viscosity, E^1% _{1 cm} at 232 and 268 nm compared to control and three other antioxidants. The order of effectiveness (P<0.05) in inhibiting oil oxidation in RBD palm olein was oleoresin rosemary > BHA > sage extract > BHT > control. Prior to storage, the sensory evaluation of fried potato chips for each system showed that there was no significant (P>0.05) difference in terms of flavor, odor, texture, and overall acceptability. The same order of effectiveness (P<0.05) of antioxidants was observed for storage stability study of fried potato chips by TBA values. However, there was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in sensory evaluation for rancid odor during storage periods.     

Enhancement of Styrene Adsolubilization and Solubilization by Rhamnolipid Biosurfactant‐Linker Mixtures onto an Aluminum Oxide Surface

The polarity of rhamnolipid, a relatively hydrophilic biosurfactant, can be enhanced by the addition of linker molecules. In this work, rhamnolipid biosurfactant‐modified surfaces were prepared with and without a combination of linkers (1‐butanol, 1‐octanol, and 1‐dodecanol) to investigate effects of linker molecules on styrene adsolubilization and solubilization. Results showed that styrene adsolubilization increased with increasing carbon chain lengths of the linker molecules whereas the solubilization of styrene exhibited the opposite effect. Decreasing the carbon atoms in the linker molecules resulted in higher styrene solubilization capacity because of the change in polarity of the three‐dimensional surfactant aggregates. The higher adsolubilization capacity indicated the enlargement of surfactant tails that was created a larger adsolubilization region in the admicelle while the lesser solubilization of styrene indicated the decreasing of affective area per molecule of the surfactant‐linker system (butanol > octanol > dodecanol).     

Branched‐Chain Fatty Acid Methyl Esters as Cold Flow Improvers for Biodiesel

Biodiesel is an alternative diesel fuel derived mainly from the transesterification of plant oils with methanol or ethanol. This fuel is generally made from commodity oils such as canola, palm or soybean and has a number of properties that make it compatible in compression‐ignition engines. Despite its many advantages, biodiesel has poor cold flow properties that may impact its deployment during cooler months in moderate temperature climates. This work is a study on the use of skeletally branched‐chain‐fatty acid methyl esters (BC‐FAME) as additives and diluents to decrease the cloud point (CP) and pour point (PP) of biodiesel. Two BC‐FAME, methyl iso‐oleate and methyl iso‐stearate isomers (Me iso‐C_18:1 and Me iso‐C_18:0), were tested in mixtures with fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) of canola, palm and soybean oil (CaME, PME and SME). Results showed that mixing linear FAME with up to 2 mass% BC‐FAME did not greatly affect CP, PP or kinematic viscosity (ν) relative to the unmixed biodiesel fuels. In contrast, higher concentrations of BC‐FAME, namely between 17 and 39 mass%, significantly improved CP and PP without raising ν in excess of limits in the biodiesel fuel standard specification ASTM D 6751. Furthermore, it is shown that biodiesel/Me iso‐C_18:0 mixtures matched or exceeded the performance of biodiesel/Me iso‐C_18:1 mixtures in terms of decreasing CP and PP under certain conditions. This was taken as evidence that additives or diluents with chemical structures based on long‐chain saturated chains may be more effective at reducing the cold flow properties of mixtures with biodiesel than structures based on long‐chain unsaturated chains.     

Effectiveness of antioxidants in refined,bleached and deodorized palm olein

The addition of antioxidants butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate (PG), tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), dilaurylthiodipropionate (DLTDP), and trihydroxybutyrophenone (THBP) at a level of 200 ppm to refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm olein resulted in the retardation of the oxidative deterioration of the oil when stored at 60 C for a period of 10 weeks. The extent of oxidative deterioration was determined by measuring the peroxide and anisidine values and E _{1 cm} ^1% at 232 nm and 268 nm of the oil. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) proved to be a relatively ineffective antioxidant, whereas TBHQ afforded the most protection for the RBD olein.     

Physico‐chemical properties of palm olein fractions as a function of diglyceride content in the starting material

Crude olein preparations with different amounts of diacylglycerols (DAG) were refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) prior to the dry fractionation process. The RBD olein samples with different amounts of DAG were then individually fractionated into low‐melting (super olein) and high‐melting fractions (soft stearin). Physical and chemical characteristics, i.e. iodine value, cloud point, slip melting point, triacylglycerol (TAG) and DAG profile, fatty acid composition, thermal profile and solid fat content, of the super olein and soft stearin fractions were analyzed. The TAG profile obtained from the RBD olein having a low DAG content (0.89%) showed a higher amount of the diunsaturated TAG, i.e. dioleyl pamitoyl glycerol, in the olein fraction (57.3%). This, consequently, led to super olein fractions with a better iodine value (IV 65) and the cloud point at 1.3 °C, compared to non‐treated super olein (DAG 5%) with an IV of 60.5 and the cloud point at 4.1 °C.     

Synthesis,solution properties and scale‐inhibiting behaviour of a diallylammonium/sulfur dioxide cyclocopolymer bearing phospho‐ and sulfopropyl pendents

Zwitterion (Z) monomer 3‐[diallyl{3‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)propyl}ammonio]propane‐1‐sulfonate underwent cyclocopolymerization with sulfur dioxide to give a new alternating copolymer poly(Z‐alt‐SO₂) in excellent yield (ca 90%). The polyzwitterion (±) (PZ) (i.e. poly(Z‐alt‐SO₂), bearing a diethylphosphonate as well as a sulfonate functionality in each repeat unit, upon ester hydrolysis gave its corresponding pH‐responsive polyzwitterionic acid (±) (PZA). The pH‐induced equilibrations (+) cationic polyelectrolyte ? (±) PZA ? polyzwitterion/anion (± ?) (PZAN) ? polyzwitterion/dianion (± =) (PZDAN) permitted us to examine the effects of charge types and their densities on the interesting solubility and viscosity behaviours. The apparent protonation constants of the basic functionalities &tbond;N^±PO₃^2? in (± =) PZDAN and &tbond;N^±PO₃H^1? in (± ?) PZAN in salt‐free water and 0.1 mol L^?1 NaCl were determined using potentiometric titrations. (±) PZA at a meagre concentration of 20 ppm was found to be an effective antiscalant to inhibit the precipitation of CaSO₄ from its supersaturated solution: after 500 and 800 min, the respective scale inhibitions of 86 and 98% indicated its potential use as an effective antiscalant in reverse osmosis plant. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fractionation studies of palm oil by density gradient

The paper describes a method of fractionating vegetable, animal and fish oils, and in particular palm oil. The method involves addition of a medium comprising two common solvents to the semisolid oils. On centrifugation, the olein and stearin are separated by the medium in the middle. Thirteen media made up from binary combinations of nine solvents, viz. water, propylene glycol, glycerine, methanol, ethanol,n-propanol, isopropanol (IPA), acetone and butanone, are found to be effective in olein-stearin separation. However, only the water/IPA and water/methanol systems have been studied in detail. The aqueous IPA provides a higher yield of olein than water/ methanol but intersolubility between oil and medium is also greater. The fractionation process can be carried out at any suitable temperature. Fractionation of the special prime bleached (SPB) palm oil at 16 C yields an olein with a cloud point of 4.8 C. Some hybrid palm oils produce a large quantity of low cloud point olein which can be bleached readily. The process can be extended to include degumming and neutralization by using an alkaline medium for centrifugation. The olein fractions obtained have been found to be free of phosphatides and the free fatty acids reduced to as low as 0.02%. Metal-scavenging agents have also been added to the medium in an attempt to remove copper and iron. The development of this process into a continuous one has been demonstrated on the AlfaLaval LAPX 202 Separator. Fractionation of crude palm oil using a density gradient provides seven fractions of different characteristics. The iodine values vary from 37.5 to 57.4 and the unsaturated fatty acids range from 32.7% to 51.2%. Triglyceride analysis by carbon numbers shows great differences in the C₄₈ and C₅₂ constituents of the fractions. aThe volume ratio of oil to medium in each case was 1:1. The separation involved the oil and wax.     

Semi‐theoretical prediction of volumetric mass transfer coefficients in bubble columns with organic liquids at ambient and elevated temperatures

A semi‐theoretical approach for predicting k_La values (referred to liquid volume) in 18 organic liquids [acetone, aniline, 1‐butanol, benzene, cyclohexane, decalin, 1,2‐dichloroethane, 1,4‐dioxane, ethanol (96%), ethylacetate, ethylbenzene, ligroin, methanol, nitrobenzene, 2‐propanol, tetralin, toluene, and xylene] at various operating conditions (including elevated temperatures and pressures) was developed. It was found that the approach is applicable regardless of the hydrodynamic regime (at u_G ≤ 0.1 m/s). Temperatures up to 353 K and pressures up to 0.5 MPa were tested. Two different distributors (multiple‐hole and single‐hole type) were employed. The liquid‐phase mass transfer coefficient k_L was calculated theoretically from the penetration theory on the basis of original definition of gas–liquid contact time. The interfacial area a was defined with respect to the liquid volume. It was found that their product k_La must be multiplied by some correction factor in order to take account of the non‐spherical (ellipsoidal) shape of the bubbles. When the correction term is correlated to both the Eötvös number (Eo) and the dimensionless temperature ratio, 198 experimental k_La values can be fitted reasonably well (average relative error 9.3%).     

Effects of organically modified nanoclay on the transport properties and electrochemical performance of acid‐doped polybenzimidazole membranes

Nanocomposite polyelectrolyte membranes based on phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) doped polybenzimidazoles (PBIs) with various loading weights of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) were prepared and characterized for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) applications. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed the exfoliated structure of OMMT nanolayers in the polymeric matrices. An H₃PO₄–PBI/OMMT membrane composed of 500 mol % doped acid and 3.0 wt % OMMT showed a membrane selectivity of approximately 109,761 in comparison with 40,500 for Nafion 117 and also a higher power density (186 mW/cm²) than Nafion 117 (108 mW/cm²) for a single‐cell DMFC at a 5M methanol feed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Solvent‐specific swelling behavior of poly(allylamine) gel

Poly(allylamine) (PAlAm) gel was prepared by γ‐ray irradiation. Swelling behavior of the charged PAlAm gels having Cl^? and NO₃^? counter‐ions (PAlAmHCl and PAlAmHNO₃, respectively) was investigated in aqueous organic solvent mixtures as functions of solvent species (dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), methanol (MeOH), ethanol (EtOH), 2‐propanol (2PrOH), tert‐butanol (tert‐BuOH), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF) and dioxane) and the concentration. With increasing solvent concentration, the gels (except for the DMSO system) showed a sharp deswelling comparable to the volume phase transition. The solvent specificity for the PAlAmHNO₃ gel transition was correlated with the dielectric constant of the organic solvents, while that for the PAlAmHCl gel suggested that solvency for the counter anion is another important factor. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Conversion efficiency of glucose/xylose mixtures for ethanol production using Saccharomyces cerevisiae ITV01 and Pichia stipitis NRRL Y‐7124

BACKGROUND: Efficient conversion of glucose/xylose mixtures from lignocellulose is necessary for commercially viable ethanol production. Oxygen and carbon sources are of paramount importance for ethanol yield. The aim of this work was to evaluate different glucose/xylose mixtures for ethanol production using S. cerevisiae ITV‐01 (wild type yeast) and P. stipitis NRRL Y‐7124 and the effect of supplying oxygen in separate and co‐culture processes. RESULTS: The complete conversion of a glucose/xylose mixture (75/30 g L^?1) was obtained using P. stipitis NRRL Y‐7124 under aerobic conditions (0.6 vvm), the highest yield production being Y_p/s = 0.46 g g^?1, volumetric ethanol productivity Q_pmax = 0.24 g L^?1 h^?1 and maximum ethanol concentration P_max = 34.5 g L^?1. In the co‐culture process and under aerobic conditions, incomplete conversion of glucose/xylose mixture was observed (20.4% residual xylose), with a maximum ethanol production of 30.3 g L^?1, ethanol yield of 0.4 g g^?1 and Q_pmax = 1.26 g L^?1 h^?1. CONCLUSIONS: The oxygen present in the glucose/xylose mixture promotes complete sugar consumption by P. stipitis NRRL Y‐7124 resulting in ethanol production. However, in co‐culture with S. cerevisiae ITV‐01 under aerobic conditions, incomplete fermentation occurs that could be caused by oxygen limitation and ethanol inhibition by P. stipitis NRRL Y‐7124; nevertheless the volumetric ethanol productivity increases fivefold compared with separate culture. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry