Evaluation system for obtaining biomonomers from limonene

• Grant number: 11/23375-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date until: February 01, 2012
• End date until: June 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Rubens Maciel Filho
• Grantee: Caio Henrique Adami de Freitas
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Oxidation and epoxidation of organic compounds have been widely studied in recent decades and is one of the most attractive areas of study of modern chemistry. One of olefins from renewable sources of major importance in Brazil is limonene. Its epoxides can be used as precursors for a wide variety of prescription drugs, fragrances, food products and also to as monomers to produce polymers and resins. Therefore, several studies have been conducted to develop new active and selective catalysts in order to obtaining a processes that lead to smaller amounts of by-products, i.e., increase the selectivity, considering a green chemistry context. Thus, the preferred oxidants for these processes are molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. In this work is studied the epoxidation of limonene with H2O2 under mild conditions, using as a catalyst methyl trioxorhenium, alumina and natural clay. The system shall be optimized by design of experimental. Also, the catalysts recycle essays will be performed.(AU)