KINETIC-PARAMETERS OF A 2-PHASE MODEL FOR IN-SITU EPOXIDATION OF SOYBEAN OIL

The process of in situ epoxidation consists of a two-phase system that involves reactions in both phases, mass transfer between phases, and thermodynamic driving forces for the mass transfer. In this paper, we present a model that treats the process as a two-phase system and uses local phase concentrations to calculate reaction and mass transfer ra tes. The process of in situ epoxidation has been broken down into a se t of systematic steps, and rate constants for each step have been dete rmined. A conventional stirred tank reactor, equipped with cooling coi ls, eliminated the heat and mass transfer limitations so that the true kinetics of in situ epoxidation were observed. It is shown that signi ficantly larger rates (larger by factors of 2-10) are obtained when he at and mass transfer limitations are removed. The two-phase model adeq uately predicts the epoxidation kinetics over a wide range of temperat ures (50-90 degrees C). In addition, the model also correctly predicts the effect of adding an inert solvent.