Author(s)

Chigozie F. Uzoh^*, Joseph T. Nwabanne

Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.

Significant scientific and economic benefits may be derived from investigating the best choice of catalyst in the alkyd resin synthesis. The effect of catalyst type and concentration on the production of alkyd resin using castor seed oil (CSO) was evaluated. Lithium hydroxide, lead (II) oxide, calcium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and calcium oxide were investigated. The fatty acid profile of the raw CSO was determined using GC-MS while structural elucidation of the CSO based alkyd resins was determined using FTIR spectrometry. The CSO modified alkyd resin produced has acid values of 5.0, 5.61, 7.0 8.24 and 11 for lithium hydroxide, lead (II) oxide, calcium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and calcium oxide respectively. The extent of reaction was 95%, 95%, 91%, 89% and 88% for lithium hydroxide, lead (II) oxide, calcium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and calcium oxide respectively at the reaction time of 150 minutes. The alcoholysis reaction completion time was fastest in LiOH followed by PbO, CaCO₃, NaOH and CaO catalyst. Physico-chemical parameters of the oil and performance evaluation of the alkyd films suggest that they are sustainable materials for surface coating. LiOH shows excellent robustness to expanded process parameters.

Alcoholysis, Alkyd Resin, Dehydrated Castor Seed Oil, Catalyst Type, GC-MS

Uzoh, C. and Nwabanne, J. (2016) Investigating the Effect of Catalyst Type and Concentration on the functional Group Conversion in Castor Seed Oil Alkyd Resin Production. Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 6, 190-200. doi: 10.4236/aces.2016.62020.