Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Monomethyl Azelate to Prepare High‐Purity Azelaic Acid: Optimization, Process Evaluation and Kinetic Study

Azelaic acid is a vital oleochemical product widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and new energy materials industries. In this work, the enzymatic hydrolysis of monomethyl azelate was proposed to prepare azelaic acid, utilizing immobilized lipase FM‐NE04 as catalyst. The effects of stirring rate, enzyme dosage, mass ratio of ester to water, and reaction temperature on the conversion of monomethyl azelate were investigated and optimized. The results indicated a 99.5% conversion of monomethyl azelate under the optimal conditions, which included a stirring rate of 500 r·min −1 , an immobilized lipase dosage of 15 wt%, a mass ratio of ester to water of 3:250, and a reaction temperature of 60°C. Moreover, the process was evaluated, including the reusability of FM‐NE04 and water, as well as the quality of the azelaic product. The results demonstrated that both FM‐NE04 and water could be recycled, maintaining a conversion of monomethyl azelate above 99.5% for up to five cycles under optimal conditions. After recrystallization, the purity of azelaic acid reached 99.9%, meeting the industrial Type I standard. Additionally, a macroscopic kinetic model for the enzyme‐catalyzed hydrolysis of monomethyl azelate was established, and the kinetic parameters for the process were estimated. Overall, these findings offer an efficient and environmentally friendly method to produce high‐purity azelaic acid.