Epoxidation of sunflower oil via in situ generated hybrid peracids mechanism

Abstract With the increasing demand for eco-friendly epoxides derived from vegetable oils, recent efforts have focused on developing methods for the epoxidation of sunflower oil. Sunflower oil, in particular, has emerged as a promising candidate for epoxidation due to its high content of unsaturated fatty acids, which provide abundant double bonds suitable for epoxide formation. In this study, epoxidized sunflower oil was produced using in situ formed peracid with a hybrid oxygen carrier combining formic acid and acetic acid. The optimal epoxidation reaction parameters were determined as follows: (1) a reaction temperature of 75 °C, (2) a catalyst loading of 0.9 g of hybrid oxygen carrier, (3) a stirring speed of 450 rpm, and (4) a hydrogen peroxide to sunflower oil molar ratio of 1.5. This research contributes to transforming sunflower oil into a value-added product, thereby reducing reliance on petroleum-based resources.