Development of Bio-Based Epoxide from Plant Oil

Epoxidation of nahor oil was performed by peroxycarboxylic acid generated in-situ, in the presence of acid catalyst. The reaction was carried out at 50 °C under a stirring speed of 1600 rev/min. The performance of different carboxylic acids namely formic, acetic, and propanoic acid, and the effect of different catalysts namely H₂SO₄, Amberlite IR 120H, and Dowex 50 WX8 on epoxide yield was examined in the present study. It was possible to obtain around 70 % epoxide yield within 8 h at a moderate temperature of 50 °C. Among the catalysts studied, Amberlite IR 120H showed better epoxide yield compared to H₂SO₄ and Dowex 50 WX8. The performance of carboxylic acids was found to be in the order of formic acid > acetic acid > propanoic acid. The FTIR analysis confirmed the formation of glycol products. The findings of the present study will provide useful information for making bio-based plasticizers and lubricants.