Epoxidation of Palm Oil Catalyzed by Titanium-Grafted Silica Catalyst

Epoxidation reaction is an important reaction in organic synthesis because the formed epoxides are intermediates that can be converted to a variety of products. Catalytic palm oil epoxidation using titanium-grafted silica, hydrogen peroxide, and peroxoformic acid was carried out at 60 °C in a fixed batch reactor. Titanium-grafted silica with different percentages of silica content was prepared through sol-gel hydrolysis and was utilized in epoxidation of palm oil. Titanium-grafted silica particles and Epoxidized palm oil were characterized by techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The TiOSi bonds were detected at 960 cm-1in Ti-Si 0.5 and exhibited highest yield of epoxidized palm oil (EPO) in the epoxidation process which is 84% conversion of unsaturation in palm oil to epoxy groups. New peaks observed in the range of δ 2.4 ppm to 3.6 ppm in the NMR spectrum of EPO belong to protons of the epoxy cyclic ring group, CH-O-CH confirming successful epoxidation of palm oil using the prepared catalyst.