Thermoplastic polymer and method of forming the same

A method of forming a thermoplastic polymer, the method comprising:

• epoxidizing a plant-based oil to form an epoxidized plant-based oil;
• saponifying the epoxidized plant-based oil to separate the fatty acids from the glycerol;
• and then
• polymerizing the separated fatty acids to form the thermoplastic polymer.

A method of forming a thermoplastic polymer, the method comprising:

• reacting cottonseed oil with peroxy acid to form an epoxidized cottonseed oil;
• dissociating fatty acids of the epoxidized cottonseed oil from glycerol through a saponification reaction with NaOH;
• and then polymerizing the dissociated fatty acids through esterification with a Ti catalyst solution to form the thermoplastic polymer;
• wherein the thermoplastic polymer comprises a structure according to the formula C18H33O2(C18H32O2)zC18H33O3;
• and
• wherein z is between 1 and 298.