PLASTICIZER COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR MAKING PLASTICIZER COMPOSITIONS

1 . A plasticizer composition comprising:

a first plasticizer comprising epoxidized fatty acid alkyl esters; and

a second plasticizer comprising an epoxidized natural oil,

wherein said first plasticizer comprises fatty acid dimers in a concentration of less than 0.1 weight percent based on the entire weight of said first plasticizer.

2 . The plasticizer composition of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said epoxidized fatty acid alkyl esters are methyl esters, wherein said epoxidized natural oil is an epoxidized soybean oil.

3 . The plasticizer composition of claim 1 , wherein said first plasticizer has a concentration of said fatty acid dimers of less than 0.02 weight percent based on the entire weight of said first plasticizer.

4 . The plasticizer composition of claim 1 , wherein said first and second plasticizer are present in a first plasticizer-to-second plasticizer weight ratio in the range of from 10:90 to 90:10.

5 . The plasticizer composition of claim 1 , wherein said first plasticizer has an APHA value of less than 100 upon heat aging at 190° C. for 60 minutes.

6 . A polymeric composition comprising a polymeric resin and said plasticizer composition of claim 1 .

7 . The polymeric composition of claim 6 , wherein said polymeric resin is polyvinyl chloride.

8 . A method for producing a treated plasticizer, said method comprising:

(a) combining a first plasticizer and a second plasticizer to thereby form a plasticizer composition, wherein said first plasticizer comprises epoxidized fatty acid alkyl esters, wherein said second plasticizer comprises an epoxidized natural oil; and

(b) subjecting said first plasticizer, said second plasticizer, and/or said plasticizer composition to one or more color-reducing treatment processes to thereby produce said treated plasticizer,

wherein said color-reducing treatment process is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) contacting at least a portion of said first plasticizer, said second plasticizer, and/or said plasticizer composition with a peroxide;

(ii) filtering at least a portion of said first plasticizer, said second plasticizer, and/or said plasticizer composition;

(iii) distilling at least a portion of said first plasticizer prior to said combining of step (a); and

(iv) mixtures of two or more thereof.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said epoxidized fatty acid alkyl esters are epoxidized fatty acid methyl esters, wherein said epoxidized natural oil is an epoxidized soybean oil.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said color-reducing treatment process comprises process (i), wherein said peroxide is hydrogen peroxide.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said color-reducing treatment process comprises process (ii), wherein said filtering is performed by passing at least a portion of said first plasticizer, said second plasticizer, and/or said plasticizer composition through a filter media selected from the group consisting of synthetic magnesium silicate, bleaching clay, montmorillonite clay, fuller's earth clay, activated alumina, perlite, and mixtures of two or more thereof.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said color-reducing treatment process comprises process (iii), wherein said distillation is performed at a temperature in the range of from 120 to 180° C.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said first plasticizer has an APHA value of less than 100 upon heat aging at 190° C. for 60 minutes following said color-reducing treatment process.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said plasticizer composition has an APHA value that is less than the APHA value of an identical reference plasticizer composition that has not undergone any of said color-reducing treatment processes of step (b) upon heat aging both said plasticizer composition and said reference plasticizer composition at 190° C. for 60 minutes.