Epoxidation of Vegetable Oils via the Prilezhaev Reaction Method: A Review of the Transition from Batch to Continuous Processes

Epoxidized vegetable oils find large application as plasticizers in poly(vinyl chloride) resins, as intermediates to produce polyurethane and as biolubricants, which make them interesting value-added biomaterials. The present work aims to point out the main aspects that have emerged throughout the years about the epoxidation process of vegetable oils carried out via the Prilezhaev reaction method. The state of the art of the vegetable oil epoxidation process is reviewed and an in-depth analysis of the catalytic, kinetic and process aspects related to the epoxidation via the Prilezhaev method is presented. At both industrial and laboratory scale the reaction is performed in semibatch configurations, limiting the productivity of this platform chemical. The final aim of the present Review is to guide researchers in the choice of operating conditions and reactor configurations to carry out the reaction continuously, as well as to update the scientific community about developments related to this field.