Abstract:

Esterification of camphor tree seed oil was catalyzed by toluenesulfonic acid, which led to the transformation of free fatty acids into monoglycerides. The performing condition for esterification of oil was optimized using uniform design and partial least-square regression method. The factors influencing esterification of camphor tree seed oil were studied including reaction temperature, amount of catalyst, mole ratio of glycerol to oil and reaction time. The esterification yield (Y1) and the content of monoglyceride(Y2)were analyzed. Model fitting and the determination coefficient were 0.9801 and 0.9739 through regression model of those two test index. The optimal esterification yield and the content of monoglyceride predicted by the models were 98.2 % and 12.2% whereas the actual test values were 95.6% and 14.4%, respectively. And the optimum reaction conditions for esterification were: temperature 132 ℃, amount of catalyst 3.5% (oil weight), mole ratio of glycerol to oil 1.8:1 and reaction time 2 h.

Key words: camphor tree seed oil, esterification, monoglyceride, uniform design, partial least squares regression