화학공학소재연구정보센터
Energy & Fuels, Vol.32, No.3, 3428-3435, 2018
Long-Term Storage Stability of Epoxides Derived from Vegetable Oils and Their Methyl Esters
Epoxidized plant seed oils have received much attention in recent years to replace conventional lubricant basestocks in the current lubricant market. Although there is an increase in the productivity of epoxides, showing a solution for future energy insecurity, there still remains some concern for commercialization due to its susceptibility during long-term storage. Therefore, in order to commercialize the epoxides, they should maintain their integrity (physical and chemical) in all aspects. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of various storage conditions on quality-indicative parameters for epoxides, such as acid value, oxirane oxygen content, and alpha glycol content for epoxidized waste cooking oil, castor oil, and their epoxidized methyl esters. Aforementioned quality indicative parameters for epoxides were investigated after every 3 months over a period of 12 months. During the storage period, epoxides were stored in three different groups at different temperatures (room temperature, 4 degrees C) and different environmental conditions (closed to air in the dark, closed to air and exposed to light). The analysis was carried out at regular intervals to monitor the quality-indicative parameters for four epoxides (two oil derived epoxides and two methyl esters derived epoxides). The results of the study revealed that epoxides stored at ambient temperature (closed to air and exposed to light) were highly more unstable than those at the other storage conditions. Likewise, epoxidized methyl esters stored at the same condition were found to degrade at a faster rate than epoxidized oils.