Peroxide Molar Ratio Research Articles

Chemical modification of linoleic acid via catalytic epoxidation of corn oil: A sustainable approach

AbstractEpoxidized corn oil is of great interest because they are derived from sustainable, renewable natural resources and are environmentally friendly. There is a lack of extensive research on optimizing process parameters for the epoxidation of corn oil, which serves as the raw material. In this study, the epoxidation of corn oil was carried out by reacting formic acid and hydrogen peroxide, employing an in situ peracids mechanism. The findings revealed that the optimal reaction conditions for producing epoxidized corn oil with the highest oxirane content were a catalyst type of sulfuric acid, reaction temperature of 35°C, a molar ratio of formic acid to linoleic acid of 1:1, and a molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to linoleic acid of 1.75:1. By employing these optimal conditions, the maximum relative conversion of palm oleic acid to oxirane was achieved at 82%. After 100 iterations, the reaction rate constant based on optimized epoxidized corn oil production was obtained as follows: = 0.13 mol L−1 min−1, = 37.07 mol L−1 min−1, and = 10.00 mol L−1 min−1. The findings validated the kinetic model by showing good agreement between the simulation and experimental data.

Sustainable synthesis of epoxidized waste cooking oil via Prileschajew reaction: Optimization and kinetic study

AbstractIn this study, waste cooking oil‐based palm oil (WCO‐PO) was chosen as feedstock for epoxidation reaction. The epoxidation process of WCO‐PO was carried out using in situ generated performic acid or known as Prileschajew reaction. Based on the Taguchi method of optimization and analysis of variance, a series of experiments were conducted around the optimum conditions or parameters. The findings revealed that the optimal reaction conditions for producing epoxidized waste cooking oil with the highest oxirane content were a hydrogen peroxide molar ratio of 2.0, a temperature of 55°C, formic acid molar ratio of 2.0, and catalyst loading of 0.5% at a constant stirrer speed of 300 rpm and 0.5% catalyst. By employing these optimal conditions, the maximum relative conversion of waste cooking oil to oxirane was achieved at 70.6%. Besides, the rate constant and activation energy for epoxidation of WCO‐PO at optimum condition were 0.0221 min−1 and 50.55 kJ mol−1, respectively. Overall, epoxidized WCO‐PO was successfully produced by using optimum process parameters of epoxidation.

Microencapsulated epoxidized palm oil: A self-healing coating solution

Coatings are susceptible to cracking due to chemical exposure and mechanical forces. To enhance their durability and self-healing properties, microcapsules are utilized. In this study, poly(urea formaldehyde) microcapsules containing epoxidized palm oil as the core material were synthesized and investigated for their self-healing properties in diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin. The epoxidation reaction of palm oil was carried out by varying reaction times and the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to formic acid to achieve an effective oxygen carrier with a high oxirane oxygen content. The formation of epoxide groups was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Fourier transform Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR). The core-shell structure of the microcapsules was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Pencil hardness and adhesion tests were conducted on the epoxy coatings containing different amounts of microcapsules to evaluate the impact of microcapsules on hardness and adhesion properties. The epoxy coatings with microcapsules demonstrated significant self-healing ability and provided effective anti-corrosive protection. Higher microcapsule contents resulted in improved self-healing performance. Furthermore, the addition of microcapsules at 5 to 15 wt % did not compromise the hardness and adhesion properties of the epoxy coating.

Application of Fe0.66Cu0.33@Al(OH)3 catalyst from fluidized-bed crystallizer by-product for RB5 azo dye treatment using visible light-assisted photo-Fenton technology

This study aims to explore the reusability of wastewater treatment by-product for photo-Fenton process to treat an organic pollutant model. The optimal condition, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and kinetic approach in photo-Fenton process was discussed. The Metal oxide crystal pellets from are a by-product of the Fluidized-Bed Crystallization (FBC) process and can be used as a catalyst in the Photo-Fenton process. Electroplating wastewater containing iron and copper was treated via the FBC process using granulated Al(OH)3 as carrier seeds. The binary oxide of FeOOH and Cu2O on the Al(OH)3 surface (Fe0.66Cu0.33@Al(OH)3) was identified as the FBC by-product after characterization using FTIR and XPS analysis.In the photo-Fenton process, visible light from a fluorescence lamp with a wavelength of 400–610 nm was chosen as an irradiation source. Oxalic acid was added as chelating agent to form photosensitive iron oxalate species and hydrogen peroxide was applied as oxidant to generate active radical to decolorize and mineralize RB5 synthesized solution (100 mg/L). The operating conditions including the oxalic acid to pollutant ratio ([OA]0/[RB5]0) of 4.5–13.0, reaction pH (pHr) of 3–7 and initial to theoretical hydrogen peroxide molar ratio [H2O2]0/[ H2O2]theoretical of 35%–120% were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, pHr = 5.0; [H2O2]0/[RB5]0 at 75% stoichiometric and [OA]0/[RB5]0 = 9, the RB5 is almost completely decolorized after 210 min of operation and the mineralization efficiency is 58%. The contribution of •OH, O2•-, and O21 to the Photo-Fenton system was determined using ESR analysis with the addition of DMPO and TEMP as spin trap agents. The kinetic analysis reveals the observed rate constants kRB5, kOA and kR from fitting are 0.0120, 0.0054 and 0.0001 M−1s−1, respectively.

Sustainable approach for catalytic green epoxidation of oleic acid with applied ion exchange resin

Epoxides were primarily derived from petroleum-based sources. However, there has been limited research on optimizing the process parameters for epoxidized palm oil-derived oleic acid, resulting in its underutilization. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize the catalytic epoxidation of palm oleic acid concerning the oxirane content by applying ion exchange resin as a catalyst. Epoxidized oleic acid was produced using in-situ-formed performic acid by combining formic acid as the oxygen carrier with hydrogen peroxide as the oxygen donor. The findings revealed that the optimal reaction conditions for producing epoxidized oleic acid with the highest oxirane content were an Amberlite IR-120 catalyst loading of 0.9 g, a molar ratio of formic acid to oleic acid of 1:1., and a molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to oleic acid of 1:1.1. By employing these optimal conditions, the maximum relative conversion of palm oleic acid to oxirane was achieved at 85%. The reaction rate constants (k) based on the optimized epoxidized oleic acid are determined as follows: k11 = 20 mol L−1 min−1, k12 = 2 mol L−1 min−1, and k2 = 20 mol L−1 min−1. The findings validated the kinetic model by showing good agreement between the simulation and experimental data.

Epoxidation of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Peroxopolyoxotungstate PW4 Encapsulated in the MIL-100(Cr) Framework

The MIL-100(Cr), PW12@MIL-100(Cr) and PW4@MIL-100(Cr) catalysts were prepared and characterized through XRD, FTIR, BET, SEM, EDS and Raman spectroscopy. A comparison of the catalytic properties of the synthesized materials in the epoxidation of FAMEs with hydrogen peroxide was made. The PW4@MIL-100(Cr) catalyst exhibited the highest catalytic activity and provided a high selectivity for the formation of epoxides. The effects of the reaction temperature, catalyst loading, reaction time and FAME:hydrogen peroxide molar ratio on the reaction performance were investigated, and the optimal process conditions were determined. An epoxide yield of 73% with a selectivity of 77% could be obtained using PW4@MIL-100(Cr) after 4 h at 40 °C. The catalytic stability test showed that PW4@MIL-100(Cr) could be easily separated and reused without any treatment for at least five consecutive cycles without a loss of activity or selectivity.

Epoxidation of crambe seed oil with peracetic acid formed in situ

AbstractThis study investigated the epoxidation of crambe seed oil (CSO) using peracetic acid formed in situ during the reaction process. First, a preliminary study of the main operational variables was carried out. Then, the kinetic behavior of the reaction was verified, evaluating the effect of the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to ethylenic unsaturation, catalyst percentage and temperature. The results indicate that the smallest amount of hydrogen peroxide (1.1 mol mol−1) favors the relative conversion to oxygen oxirane (RCO) and that an increase in the catalyst percentage up to 2.4 wt% intensifies the reaction, maintaining the stability of the process. In addition, the reaction carried out at high temperatures results in greater conversions in short time, however, it is necessary that the reaction is stopped at the exact time, avoiding exceeding the formation of epoxy resulting in the obtaining of by‐products. Some unsaturated fatty acids are partially consumed while others (linolenic and gondoic acid) are completely consumed during the entire reaction. The epoxidized oils showed higher viscosities in relation to the CSO. The FTIR spectra indicated the appearance of the epoxide group and the analysis by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer indicated the formation of two epoxidized compounds, 3‐octyl oxirane octanoic acid and 10‐oxo‐octadecanoic acid methyl ester. The highest efficiency for the formation of CSO epoxides, within the ranges of the variables evaluated, was observed at 80°C, 8 h reaction, using a H2O2 to CC molar ratio of 1.1 mol mol−1 and 2.4 wt% H2SO4.

Physicochemical Characterization of Novel Epoxidized Vegetable Oil from Chia Seed Oil.

In this study, a novel epoxidized vegetable oil (EVO) from chia seed oil (CSO) has been obtained, with the aim to be employed in a great variety of green products related to the polymeric industry, as plasticizers and compatibilizers. Previous to the epoxidation process characterization, the fatty acid (FA) composition of CSO was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC). Epoxidation of CSO has been performed using peracetic acid formed in situ with hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, applying sulfuric acid as catalyst. The effects of key parameters as temperature (60, 70, and 75 °C), the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide:double bond (H2O2:DB) (0.75:1.0 and 1.50:1.0), and reaction time (0–8 h) were evaluated to obtain the highest relative oxirane oxygen yield (Yoo). The evaluation of the epoxidation process was carried out through iodine value (IV), oxirane oxygen content (Oo), epoxy equivalent weight (EEW), and selectivity (S). The main functional groups were identified by means of FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Physical properties were compared in the different assays. The study of different parameters showed that the best epoxidation conditions were carried out at 75 °C and H2O2:DB (1.50:1), obtaining an Oo value of 8.26% and an EEW of 193 (g·eq−1). These high values, even higher than those obtained for commercial epoxidized oils such as soybean or linseed oil, show the potential of the chemical modification of chia seed oil to be used in the development of biopolymers.

Optimization of High Yield Epoxidation of Malaysian Castor Bean Ricinoleic Acid with Performic Acid

Epoxidized castor oil (ECO) has shown high potential for industrial applications as value-added products such as polymer coating, plasticizer, and biolubricant. Epoxidized ricinoleic acid recovered from ECO has potential for industrial usage. In this work, epoxidized ricinoleic acid (ERA) was synthesized through in situ generated performic acid epoxidation of ricinoleic acid (RA). The epoxidation process was optimized by several reaction parameters, such as the molar ratio of formic acid to ethylenic unsaturation, the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to ethylenic unsaturation, and reaction temperature. The response reaction parameters of oxirane oxygen content (OOC) and iodine value (IV) were then evaluated. The results showed the optimal condition for the epoxidation of RA was obtained at 50 °C, the molar ratio of formic acid and hydrogen peroxide to ethylenic unsaturation of 1:8:1 for 4 h reaction time. A high yield of ERA of 86% with relative conversion into oxirane of 85.3% was achieved at the optimum condition. The optimum ERA showed a high OOC value of 4.00% and a low IV value of 2.24 mg/g. It is plausible that ERA can be used as an intermediate starting material to prepare value-added products such as biosurfactants, biopolymer additives, or biolubricants.

Tungsten extraction from scheelite hydrochloric acid decomposition residue by hydrogen peroxide

• W was leached from crude tungstic acid or residue by an efficient and clean method. • H 2 O 2 dissolved W from crude tungstic acid or residue selectively. • The W leaching ratio exceeded 96% for crude tungstic acid and 99% for the residue. • Pure tungstic acid was obtained from peroxotungstic acid solution. • More than 99.6% of W was precipitated from peroxotungstic acid solution. To reduce the amount of ammonia wastewater produced during traditional tungsten metallurgy, a novel method has been developed. Hydrogen peroxide was first used to selectively dissolve tungsten from crude tungstic acid and scheelite hydrochloric acid decomposition residue. Then, the peroxotungstic acid solution obtained was heated to prepare pure tungstic acid through thermal decomposition . The results showed that when the temperature was 40–45 °C, the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to tungstic acid was 2:1, and the reaction time was 60 min, more than 96 % of the crude tungstic acid was dissolved. Tungsten was easily leached from the hydrochloric acid decomposition residue under the conditions of a hydrogen peroxide concentration of 1.95 mol/L, 60 min, and 30 °C. The tungsten leaching ratio was 99.4 %. Using a decomposition temperature higher than 95 °C, seed addition amount more than 2.5 g/L, an acid concentration of 1 mol/L, and a reaction time of 120 min, the final W concentration in the mother liquor was 0.5 g/L and the decomposition ratio of peroxotungstic acid was more than 99.6 % with the product being WO 3 ·H 2 O. This research showed that hydrogen peroxide could dissolve tungstic acid and scheelite hydrochloric acid decomposition residue, and that the peroxotungstic acid obtained was readily decomposed into tungstic acid, which made it possible to leach scheelite cleanly and efficiently.

Optimization of the Epoxidation Process Parameters of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters using RSM Central Composite Design

The objective of this study was to optimize the epoxidation of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) derived from Jatropha oil. This experiment was carried out with peracetic acid generated in situ by using hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid. A response surface methodology (RSM) central composite design (CCD) was used, with one response variable, the percentage (%) of epoxidation yield. The factors evaluated were temperature (50-80°C), the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide (HP) to unsaturation (1.1-2 mol), the molar ratio of acetic acid (AA) to unsaturation (0.5-0.8 mol), and time (2-7 hours). The optimum percentage of epoxidation yield (90.98%) was at the condition of 65°C reaction temperature, HP to unsaturation molar ratio of 2.19, AA to unsaturation molar ratio of 0.65 for 6 hours. The formation of epoxides product (oxirane) was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy oxirane peaks (doublet) at 825 and 843 cm-1. The result showed good agreement with the predicted values from the RSM model.

Optimization of Epoxidation Palm-Based Oleic Acid to Produce Polyols

Optimization of epoxidation by using response surface methodology (RSM) based on three-level three-factorial central composite design (CCD) was used. Response percentage of relative oxirane content (%RCO) was studied to determine the optimum reaction condition for production of polyols. The predicted value of model (85 %) was excellent in accordance to experimental value (81 %). All parameters (temperature, molar ratio of formic acid to oleic acid and molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to oleic acid) were significant in influencing the course of epoxidation reaction (p < 0.05). The interaction between all parameters is also highly significant with p < 0.0001. Optimum reaction conditions obtained from RSM were as follows: the temperature 318 K, molar ratio of formic acid to oleic acid 1.64:1 and molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to oleic acid 2:1. The epoxidation of palm oleic acid was carried out by using in situ performic acid. FTIR analysis showed the formation of epoxy functional groups at optimum reaction condition at the wavelength of 1340 cm-1. This epoxide group was used to produce polyols by using hydroxylation process and the polyols functional group was detected at the wavelength of 816 cm-1

Transforming Waste Clamshell into Highly Selective Nanostructured Catalysts for Solvent Free Liquid Phase Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

High yield production of benzaldehyde in the solvent-free oxidation of benzyl alcohol by using green catalysts is highly desirable. In this work, calcium hydroxide derived from waste clamshell was used as low-cost and environmentally friendly catalyst support (CaSUP) for Pd and V nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were analyzed using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) technique, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde was studied in a liquid phase reaction by using H2O2 as an oxidizing agent. The effects of catalyst loading, the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to benzyl alcohol, temperature and reaction duration were investigated. In the optimized conditions, Pd nanoparticles supported on clamshell-derived supports displayed excellent catalytic conversion (88%) and selectivity to benzaldehyde (89%). Furthermore, the catalyst can be effectively reused without a significant loss in its activity and selectivity. The high yield and stability can be related to the structural and basic properties of the catalyst. These results provide important insights into the benzyl alcohol oxidation process for industrial applications.

Removal of Phenol by Expanded Bed Airlift Loop Reactor

The exaggerated release of industrial wastes especially those containing phenol into the environment led to the contamination of both surface and groundwater supplies. In present work a synergistic and combined system technique between three operations, adsorption of phenol via (rice husk or granular activated carbon GAC as adsorbents) together with stripping by airflow and advance oxidation via hydrogen peroxide as the oxidation agent, to evaluate the possibility of using a proposed new design for internal airlift loop reactor for removing the phenol from wastewater. The experiments were set up in a cylindrical Perspex column consisted of a transparent outer column having a 15 cm inside diameter and 150 cm height that included an internal draught tube of 7.5 cm and extending vertically to 120 cm top contains a bed having a dimension (7.5 x 30 cm) filled with adsorbent materials (rice husk, granular activated carbon GAC) and a volume capacity 25 liters. The experiments were conducted under the influence of both of the following variables air flow rate(2-20) (L/min), treatment time(5-60 min), the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to phenol,(1:10, 1:15 and 1:20)). The results showed the success of the proposed design with obtaining a removal efficiency (83%),( 81%)when using GAC and the rice husk as adsorbent materials respectively, with minimum remediation time 60 minutes, airflow rate of 18 L/min, and molar ratio(20) hydrogen peroxide to phenol. This study demonstrated that the proposed synergistic system could be utilized for the remediation of contaminated aqueous systems.

Direct oxidation of benzene to phenol in a microreactor: Process parameters and reaction kinetics study

The direct synthesis of phenol from benzene and hydrogen peroxide was conducted in a microreactor. The effects of process parameters such as temperature, catalyst concentration, residence time, and molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to benzene on the reaction performance were investigated systematically. The phenol yield could reach 15% while the selectivity was 94% with the set residence time of only 60 min at 55 ℃. Furthermore, a novel method was proposed to calculate the actual residence time for the reaction process with the in-situ produced gas due to the hydrogen peroxide decomposition. The actual residence time was found to be much shorter than the set residence time, especially at high temperatures. The reliability of this method at a certain temperature was verified with the kinetic study. The activation energies of phenol synthesis, hydrogen peroxide decomposition and p-benzoquinone formation were determined to be 99.52 KJ/mol, 99.43 KJ/mol and 63 KJ/mol, respectively.

Epoxidation of Podocarpus Falcatus Oil by Sulphuric Acid Catalyst: Process Optimization and Physio-chemical Characterization

Recently environmental awareness and reduction of world fossil fuel reserves have enforced the need to look for a replacement of mineral oils with environmentally friendly and nontoxic epoxy oil vegetable-based. The current study implies that Epoxidized podocarpus falcatus oil can be a substitute as a raw material for the production of a variety of chemicals and the replacement of petroleum products in composite matrices because of having high reactivity of oxirane ring. The podocarpus falcatus oil was obtained by using the solvent extraction method. In this present investigation, the extracted podocarpus falcatus oil was epoxidized using a performic acid generated in situ by the reaction of aqueous hydrogen peroxide and carboxylic acid in presence of strong Sulphuric acid. A maximum percentage of conversion of oil and selectivity of epoxidized oil were found to be at 63°C temperature, 1.4:1 molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to ethylene unsaturation double bond of podocarpus falcatus oil, and 4 hours of time reaction. The effective synthesis of epoxidation reaction for confirmation on the investigation of epoxidized podocarpus falcatus oil was characterized by identifying the structure, functional group, and composition of podocarpus falcatus seed oil, in comparison to epoxidized podocarpus falcatus oil, using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

Evaluation of the tribological properties and oxidative stability of epoxidized and ring opened products of pure rice bran oil

Vegetable oils constitute a potential base stock for bio-lubricants, which has good biodegradability, high flash point, high viscosity index and excellent boundary lubrication properties. They also possess some limitations like low thermal and oxidation stability, poor low temperature properties and narrow range of viscosities. These limitations can be altered by modifying the vegetable oils chemically or by providing additives into the oils. This research work focused on the chemical modification of pure rice bran oil by epoxidation process using 30% hydrogen peroxide and glacial acetic acid. The epoxidized rice bran oil was then subjected to ring opening process using butanoic acid. The epoxidation process was optimized with four factors (Temperature, Time, Weight % of Catalyst, Hydrogen Peroxide molar ratio), each factors having four levels. The lubricant properties of pure rice bran oil (RBO), epoxidized rice bran oil (ERBO) and ring opened rice bran oil (RRBO) were studied. It was noted that the lubricant properties of ERBO and RRBO were better compared to pure RBO.

Synergistic bromothymol blue dye degradation with hydrodynamic cavitation and hydrogen peroxide (HC-H2O2)

This study assessed the degradation of bromothymol blue in a Venturi device based on a hybrid process that combines hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). A Rotatable Central Composite Design (RCCD) was used to optimize the following variables: pressure, reaction time and molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide. Degradation efficiencies were evaluated based on Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and color removals before and after Venturi treatment. Maximum COD (93.42%) and color (93.28%) removals were observed at 4.0 bar inlet pressure, at a treatment time of 25 minutes and at H2O2/effluent (dye) molar ratio of 30:1. The hydrodynamic cavitation/hydrogen peroxide system has great potential to remove normally recalcitrant organic pollutants.

Facile synthesis of heterogeneous recyclable Pd/CeO2/TiO2 nanostructured catalyst for the one pot hydroxylation of benzene to phenol

In this work we adopted, a facile method to synthesis Pd/CeO2/TiO2 nanocomposite in large scale and evaluated its catalytic property towards the benzene hydroxylation into phenol. The as-synthesized Pd/CeO2/TiO2 composite was vigilantly investigated using XRD, SEM, TEM, elemental mapping, XPS, TGA and BET studies. The uniformly dispersed Pd/CeO2/TiO2 with size 5–20 nm shows the high benzene conversion of 73% with 95% selectivity of phenol at 80 °C. The influence of various reaction conditions such as role of solvents, temperature, benzene to peroxide molar ratio, reaction time, etc were specifically investigated. The catalyst also showed pronounced photocatalytic activity for hydroxylation of benzene under the visible light conditions. The heterogeneity of the catalyst was additionally confirmed by Sheldon’s hot filtration test where no leaching up to 5 cycle, confirming the heterogeneity of the catalyst.

Lipase-mediated direct in situ ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone formed by a chemo-enzymatic method

A novel method to synthesize poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) through a three-step, lipase-mediated chemo-enzymatic reaction from cyclohexanone using an immobilized lipase from Trichosporon laibacchii (T. laibacchii) CBS5791 was developed. The immobilized preparation with 1280 U· g−1 used here was obtained by a method of purification and in situ immobilization where the crude intracellular lipase (cell homogenate) was subjected to partial purification by an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) consisting of 12% (w/w) polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 and 13% (w/w) potassium phosphate (K2HPO4) and then in situ immobilization directly on diatomite from the top PEG-rich phase of ATPS. In this multi-step process, the ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) produced by lipase-mediated one-pot two-step chemo-enzymatic oxidation of cyclohexanone was directly subjected to in situ ring-opening polymerization (ROP) started by adding highly hydrophobic solvents. It is necessary to note that ε-CL synthesis and its subsequent ROP were catalyzed by the same lipase. The impact of various reaction parameters, e.g., solvent, cyclohexanone: hydrogen peroxide molar ratio, hydrogen peroxide forms and reaction temperature were investigated. Toluene was selected as a preferred solvent due to supporting the highest molecular weight (Mn = 2168) and moderate ε-CL conversion (65.42%). Through the optimization of reaction conditions, PCL was produced with a Mn of 2283 at 50 °C for 24 h. These results reveal that this lipase-mediated direct ring-opening polymerization of in situ formed ε-CL is an alternative route to the conventional synthesis of PCL.