ARS | Publication request: INDUSTRIAL LUBRICANTS BASED ON HIGH OLEIC VEGETABLE OILS

Submitted to: International Society of Fats
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: December 1, 2004
Publication Date: September 25, 2005
Citation: Erhan, S.Z., Sharma, B.K., Adhvaryu, A. 2005. Industrial lubricants based on high oleic vegetable oils [abstract]. 26th World Congress and Exhibition of the International Society of Fats (ISF). p. 82.

Technical Abstract: Historically, there has been an interest in biodegradable lubricants in response to environmental concerns, particularly relating to the effect of oil leaking onto the ground and into the fresh water. Vegetable oil based lubricants are recommended for use in environmentally sensitive areas such as forestry, water treatment, water management, railroads, agriculture hydraulic systems and military applications. Although vegetable oils are known to have some technical shortcomings as lubricants; governmental support, emerging technology and ongoing uncertainty in petroleum crude oil supply are all contributing to the development of new bio-based lubricants. Another significant driver for the industrial use of vegetable oils is 'green chemistry' initiatives by the U.S. government which promote the development of new biobased products and processes. Vegetable oil-based lubricants have excellent lubricity, biodegradability, better viscosity-temperature characteristics and low evaporation loss, but poor thermo-oxidative stability and cold flow behavior. In this study we show how to make vegetable oil based lubricants more attractive by improving their oxidation and cold flow behavior. Among the various possible approaches, the best one is the use of high-oleic vegetable oils in combination with chemical additives for achieving the ultimate goal. These high oleic vegetable oil-based lubricants exhibit superior oxidative stability, improved low temperature properties and better wear properties compared to some of the commercially available industrial oils such as bio-based hydraulic fluids, biodegradable oils for heavy equipment and bio-based drip fluid for agriculture equipment.