Soybean epoxide production with in situ peracetic acid using homogeneous catalysis

Using vegetable oils has become an excellent option for petrochemical product substitution. The epoxides obtained from such oils have wide applications as plastifiers and PVC stabilisers and as raw material in polyol synthesis for the polyurethane industry. This paper presents soybean oil epoxidation using a homogeneous catalyst in a well-mixed, stirred reactor being operated in isothermal conditions. The best result achieved was a 6.4% oxyrane oxygen content using hydrogen peroxide (25% molar excess), acetic acid (5% p/p) and sulphuric acid (2% p/p) concentrations at 80°C.