Umudike Journal of Engineering and Technology

Currently, interest in cheap and biodegradable polymeric materials has encouraged its development from readily available, renewable, inexpensive natural sources such as polysaccharides and vegetable oils. Although a major setback to using a bio-based polymer from plant oils is the high viscosity, which makes impregnation of fibers difficult. This work proffers a solution by synthesizing a thermoset resin from linseed and sunflower oils through epoxidation by reactions with formic acid (HCOOH) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂0₂) at a temperature of 60^oC and the further modification was done using acetic acid, in the presence of hydroquinone as a free radical inhibitor) at a temperature of 120^oC. The epoxidised and modified oil resins were obtained and characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy. From the analysis, the oils were suitably functionalised and its viscosity reduced.