Epoxidation of unsaturated FAMEs obtained from vegetable source over Ti(IV)-grafted silica catalysts: A comparison between ordered and non-ordered mesoporous materials

The liquid-phase epoxidation of mixtures of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) over titanium-containing silica materials, using tertbutylhydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant, is here reported. The mixtures were obtained from vegetable renewable source, i.e. from high-oleic sunflower oil, coriander oil, castor oil and soya-bean oil. The influence of the nature and the position of functional groups on the C-18 chain of the FAMEs was studied. Very high activity and selectivity were obtained in the epoxidation of castor and soya-bean oil methyl esters in a reaction medium free from organic acids. Ti-MCM-41 (an ordered mesoporous titanium-grafted silica) displayed in this case, for the first time, superior performances, from a synthetic point of view, with respect to non-ordered mesoporous titanosilicates.