Epoxidised resins from natural renewable resources

Cooney, Tyson (2009) Epoxidised resins from natural renewable resources. [USQ Project]

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Abstract

This research was based on the premise that vegetable oils may present a viable alternative to petrochemical feedstocks for the creation of epoxy resins. Vegetable oils are a natural and renewable product in an age of dwindling fossil oil reserves and growing demand from the energy
and materials sectors. Vegetable oils present as likely candidates for conversion into polymeric materials because of their molecular structure. They already contain the long carbon chains that define polymeric materials, as well as carbon to carbon double bonds which can be converted to
functional groups through chemical synthesis.
For this research locally sourced vegetable oils high in unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3) were epoxidised with peroxyacetic acid formed in situ by the reaction of aqueous hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid in the presence of an acidic ion exchange resin as catalyst. The reaction was carried out in a constantly stirred batch
reactor, stirred with a low profile ship’s anchor stirrer. A number of parameters were examined including: (1) the molar ratios of ethylenic unsaturation to acetic acid to hydrogen peroxide, (2) the amount of catalyst loading, (3) the steady state operating temperature of the reactor, (4) the time required to achieve maximum carbon to carbon double bond consumption, (5) the time required to
achieve maximum oxirane group formation. Results of epoxidation where examined using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and the titration methods for determining iodine value and oxirane-group oxygen content.Initial testing was conducted on linseed oil, sunflower oil and mutton tallow, but it was decided that locally sourced hemp oil would become the primary focus of this research. This was because hemp oil is high in saturated fatty acids, and there appeared to be little in the existing literature regarding the epoxidation of hemp oil.
It was found that optimum processing conditions for hemp oil existed at
Molar ratio: Hemp oil (1.0 mole of double bonds) : Acetic acid (0.67 moles) : H2O2 (1.0 moles)
Catalyst loading: 15 wt% of hemp oil
Reaction time: 7 hours
Reaction temperature: 75°C
At these conditions an 88% conversion of double bonds to epoxy groups was found to occur. This result was comparable to the results of other authors conducting similar research


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Item Type: USQ Project
Refereed: No
Item Status: Live Archive
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: Historic - Faculty of Engineering and Surveying - Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering (Up to 30 Jun 2013)
Date Deposited: 20 Jul 2010 05:05
Last Modified: 21 Jul 2010 04:59
Uncontrolled Keywords: hemp oil;epoxy resins
Fields of Research (2008): 09 Engineering > 0912 Materials Engineering > 091202 Composite and Hybrid Materials
Fields of Research (2020): 40 ENGINEERING > 4016 Materials engineering > 401602 Composite and hybrid materials
URI: https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/8468

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