Process Intensification of Hydroxylation of Epoxied Waste Cooking Soybean Oil for Polyether Polyol Synthesis Using Micro Channel Technology

Abstract

The synthesis of bio based polyols from epoxied vegetable oil has gained significant interest of as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-derived feed stocks. However, the hydroxylation process of producing soy-based polyether polyol from Epoxide waste cooking soybean oil (EWCSBO) is an exothermic process, conventional reactors often suffers from heat and mass transfer limitation, leading to lower hydroxyl (OH) number. To address these limitations, this study aimed to intensify the hydroxylation of EWCSBO using a micro channel reactor integrated with a micro channel heat sink designed from hydrodynamic, mass and heat transfer literature models of 15cm width, 30cm length and 4mm diameter was fabricated. The intensified hydroxylation of EWCSBO was carried out 75 OC-90 OC utilizing ethylene glycol (C2H6O2) following initial synthesis and refining of EWCSBO at 65 OC. System performance was evaluated by dimensionless number governing transport phenomena and hydrodynamics while response surface methodology was employed to optimize process parameter. The dimensionless numbers has directly illustrated the performance of the micro channel reactor and micro channel heat sink has performed in similar standard range way with other micro channel reactions. The statistical analysis demonstrated high reaction efficiency, yielding high OH number ranging from 390.12 mgKOH/g-441.14 mgKOH/g. Structural and thermal resistance of raw waste cooking soybean oil (WCSBO), intermediate epoxied waste cooking soybean oil (EWCSBO), and final product soy-based polyether polyol were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), and Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). This research demonstrates a viable green chemistry approach for up cycling waste cooking oil in to bio-polyol suitable for polyurethane production in industrial several applications. It is highly essential for like textile, automotive, medical, and pharmaceutical industries. This research also gives a valuable insight for process intensification of polymer synthesis.