Effects of experimental variables on the degree of epoxidation of orange seed oil and linseed oil using clay-supported hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

The effects of temperature, time, nature of solvent and nature of clay-supported hydrogen peroxide on the degree of epoxidation of orange seed oil (OSO) and linseed oil (LO) were investigated by iodine value measurements. Results show that epoxidation increases with increasing epoxidation time up to a maximum before decreasing. Epoxidation was found to be more effective at elevated temperature of 50°C than at room temperature. Also, polar solvent (1,4-dioxane) was found to be a better epoxidation solvent than non-polar toluene solvent. Treated clay-supported hydrogen peroxide yielded lower iodine values showing better epoxidation than untreated clay-supported hydrogen peroxide. Optimum epoxidation conditions were epoxidation time of 4 hours using clay-supported hydrogen peroxide in 1,4- ioxane solvent at 50OC where the least iodine values of 67.26 (B₁), 66.62 (B₂), 62.50 (B₃), 55.20(B₄), 51.08 (B₅) and 112.31 (B₁), 92.95 (B₂), 83.12 (B₃), 78.36 (B₄), 75.51 (B₅) for orange seed oil and linseed oil were obtained respectively.

Keywords: epoxidation, clay-supported hydrogen peroxide, orange seed oil, linseed oil

Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol. 11(4) 2005: 495-499