Development of Bio-epoxide from Nahor (Mesua ferrea Linn) Oil

• Development of bio-based epoxide from a non-edible vegetable oil.
• Estimation of kinetic parameters for the in situ epoxidation reaction of nahor oil.
• Optimization of operating parameters like temperature and reactants concentration.
• Epoxidized nahor oil may be useful for making bio-based adhesive and plasticizers.

Nahor (Mesua ferrea Linn) oil was epoxidized by in situ generated peroxyacetic acid in the presence of acid catalyst in a batch reactor. In the present work, the effect of operating parameters such as stirring speed, temperature, hydrogen peroxide concentration, acetic acid concentration, and diluent concentration on epoxide conversion were studied. It was possible to obtain around 72% epoxide conversion within 6 h duration at moderate temperature of 60 °C. The reaction was found to be kinetically controlled over a stirring speed of around 1500 rev/min. The kinetic rate constants obtained were in the range of 2.22−23.4 × 10−6L/mol s. The calculated activation energy (Ea) for the reaction was found to be about 12.4 kcal/mol. The study also shows that, the bio-based cured epoxy resin developed from epoxidized nahor oil could be used as an adhesive for sticking plastic materials. The findings of the present investigation would provide useful information to entrepreneurs and researchers interested in the field of epoxidation of triglycerides for making bio-based adhesive, plasticizers, and lubricants.

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