Optimization of production process of epoxidized soybean oil with high oxygen content through response surface methodology

The epoxidation process of soybean oil (SBO) and peracid produced by 50 wt% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and formic acid (FA) was studied with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) as a catalyst. Three reaction parameters, including reaction temperature, FA-to-SBO ratio, and H2O2-to-SBO ratio, were investigated, along with the combined effect on oxirane value (OV). Based on response surface methodology (RSM), the Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to optimize the process parameters. According to the results, the calculated OV (7.34%) and the experimental OV (7.31%) were signifi cantly in agreement. The product was confi rmed as epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) by IR and NMR characterization methods. These results demonstrated the reliability of RSM to optimize the SBO reaction to produce ESO with high oxygen content.