SINOPSIS

We focus on the preparation and use of mesoporous TiSBA-15 (Santa Barbara Amorphous) material with different Si/Ti mass ratios. Catalysts with different Si/Ti mass ratios were prepared and characterized by several techniques including X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis. N₂ adsorption and desorption isotherms revealed that all of the catalysts have large surface areas (∼ 900 m²/g) and pore diameters in the range of mesopores (∼ 7 nm), making them suitable catalysts for bulky molecular transformation reactions. Catalyst activity was examined for the preparation of a biolubricant from the epoxidation of canola oil. Canola oil epoxidation was carried out at 70°C, with a canola oil–to–hydrogen peroxide molar ratio of 1:14 and catalyst loading of 5 wt%. TiSBA-15 with a mass ratio of 20 resulted in 88% conversion based on unsaturation. The oxirane oxygen content of the product was 1.66, and the formation of an epoxide product of canola oil was confirmed by FTIR, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and ¹³C NMR spectral analysis. These studies showed that TiSBA-15 with the mass ratio of 20 shows promise for the preparation of epoxidized canola oil that can act as a starting material for lubricant formulation. On the basis of these results, we conclude that this system could have great potential for industrial use.