In situ epoxidation of canola oil via peracetic acid mechanism-optimization and kinetic study

Canola oil can serve as a substitute for polyol in the production of eco-friendly polyurethane. The aim of this study is to investigate the optimal conditions for the epoxidation of canola oil via the Taguchi optimization method. To date, there is no published work on optimization of process parameters for epoxidized canola oil production using the Taguchi method. In this study, the epoxidation of canola oil was performed using in situ-generated peracetic acid. Peracetic acid was formed by the reaction between acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalyst. The highest conversion to oxirane of 85% was achieved at a ratio of 2:1 of hydrogen peroxide to canola oil, a temperature of 65°C, and a stirring speed of 400 rpm. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) characterization reveals the presence of the oxirane ring group, identified at a wavenumber of 1150 cm ⁻¹ . Employing particle swarm numerical simulations, the results exhibit excellent agreement with the experimental data, thereby confirming the accuracy and validity of the kinetic model.