<i>In situ</i> epoxidation of neem oil with applied Amberlite IR 120H as catalyst

Abstract This paper reports the study on the mechanism of epoxidation of neem oil by in situ peracids with applied Amberlite IR 120H as a catalyst. The optimum level of each process parameter involved, with its percentage contribution toward the epoxidation of neem oil is determined by S/N ratio and ANOVA analysis respectively by the Taguchi method. The results show most optimum levels for each process parameter are (A) formic acid/neem oil molar ratio: 1:1 (level 1), (B) hydrogen peroxide/neem oil molar ratio: 4:1 (level 4), (C) catalyst loading: 1 g (level 2), (D) reaction temperature: 70 °C (level 4) and (E) agitation speed: 300 rpm (level 1). Meanwhile, ANOVA states that catalyst loading (C) was the most significant factor that affected the epoxidized neem oil (30.66 %), followed by formic acid/neem oil molar ratio (A) at (29.77 %) due to its role as an oxygen carrier compared to hydrogen peroxide, which acts as an oxygen donor and the third one is stirring speed (E) at (20.95 %). The highest relative conversion to oxirane of 51.50 % was achieved under optimized conditions. Subsequently, a mathematical model was formulated utilizing the numerical integration method, specifically the 4th Order Runge-Kutta technique. The outcomes demonstrated a high level of concordance between the simulation and experimental data, thereby confirming the validity of the model.