| Summary: | Owing to the increasing demands for eco-friendly epoxides derived from vegetable oils, much effort has been made regarding the epoxidation of sunflower oil in recent years. The aim of this study was to optimize the process parameters for the epoxidation of sunflower oil using a heterogeneous catalyst. The optimal process parameters determined were agitation speed of 300 rpm, type oxygen carrier of formic acid, hydrogen peroxide to oleic acid molar ratio of 1.5, and catalyst loading 0.2%. The order of significance of the process parameters was as follows: molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to linoleic acid > type of oxygen carrier > stirring speed > catalyst loading. Based on the results, the relative conversion to oxirane in the production of epoxidized sunflower oil was calculated to be 52%, and the results reveal that heterogenous catalyst exhibits higher stability than applied homogenous catalyst. The presence of the oxirane ring was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). By contrasting the simulated data with the experimental data of the oxygen oxirane content, a mathematical model has been developed utilizing the numerical integration Runge–Kutta fourth-order method. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
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