Modification of Palm Oil and Oleic Acid via Epoxidation-Hydroxylation-Esterification Processes for Obtaining Improved Performance of Biolube and Thickener Components for Biogrease

EasyChair Preprint 15552

Abstract

In this research, palm oil is modified to enhance its viscosity and oxidation stability to become a better biobased oil via a series of processes. The first process is epoxidation by using H₂O₂ to converts the unsaturated (C=C) of oil into epoxides, the second process is hydroxylation by using methanol and isopropanol to open the epoxides ring into hydroxylated palm oil, and the third and final process is esterification by using various acids (oleic acid and oxalic acid) to convert hydroxylated palm oil into estolide. The promising product to be used as an oil base for grease is Palm-ole estolide, where it gives viscosity 10cP@100℃ (SAE-30) higher than that of palm oil 7.5cP@100℃ (SAE-20). Its oxidation stability is then enhanced to that of mineral oil, with peroxide value 8 mg-eq/g (estolide) which was initially 16mgeq/g (palm oil). Then this Palm-ole estolide is used as a base oil for making Calcium complex biogrease, using hydroxylated oleic acid as a thickener component. The hydroxylated oleic acid was prepared via epoxidation-hydroxylation of oleic acid (initially 4.3 mg KOH/g), and able to increase hydroxy value 133.0 mg KOH/g (hydroxylate oleic acid). The modified oleic acid could successfully work as a substitute of popular 12-HSA, since at composition ratio thickener to base oil 20:80, the obtained biogrease is soft, “fibrous”, and mechanically stable, having a dropping point of 200℃.

Keyphrases: Epoxidation, Esterification, Palm oleate Estolides, Peroxide value, hydroxylation, palm oil

@booklet{EasyChair:15552,
  author    = {Sukirno Aditama and Anindita Setyorini and Rizqon Fajar and Siti Yubaidah},
  title     = {Modification of Palm Oil and Oleic Acid via Epoxidation-Hydroxylation-Esterification Processes for Obtaining Improved Performance of Biolube and Thickener Components for Biogrease},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 15552},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2024}}