A Novel Cardanol-Based Monoglyceride Using Cashew Nut Shell Liquid

Phenol is a widely used non-renewable petrochemical resource in many organic syntheses, hence sourcing phenolic derivatives from renewable resources is an important concern. In this study, a novel monoglyceride (MG) was synthesized utilizing “cardanol” as a starting material, which is an eco-friendly and natural phenolic derivative. Cardanol was obtained by the decarboxylation of anacardic acid present in raw cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). It was then reacted with maleic anhydride (MA) to synthesize a novel mono-phenyl maleate (MPM) derivative with a purity of 65.5%. This product was subjected to a direct esterification with glycerol to obtain the novel MG. Based on the per-iodic oxidation method, the percentage composition of the monoglyceride was obtained to be 70.1%. It showed high thermal stability up to 250 ℃. This MG being a thermally stable di-functional compound makes it a potential novel monomer that can be used to synthesize novel alkyd resins with enhanced properties in the future.