ARS | Publication request: VEGETABLE OIL-BASED BIODEGRADABLE INDUSTRIAL LUBRICANTS

Submitted to: International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotechnology: Functional Food and Industrial Products
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: July 21, 2006
Publication Date: January 19, 2007
Citation: Erhan, S.Z., Sharma, B.K. 2007. Vegetable oil-based biodegradable industrial lubricants. In: Hou, C., Shaw, J.-F., editors. International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotechnology for Functional Food and Industrial Products, 2nd edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 349-362.

Technical Abstract: The uncertainty in petroleum supply along with pollution and environmental health concerns is making a way for vegetable oils to be used as fuel and lubricants. The vegetable oils have some advantages like naturally renewable resource, environmentally safe, good lubricity and viscosity-temperature characteristics along with disadvantages such as poor cold flow behavior, low oxidation stability. Even the mineral oil fluids cannot meet most lubrication performance needs without additives. Therefore, shortcomings of vegetable oils such as thermo-oxidative stability and poor cold flow behavior can still be improved through the use of high-oleic vegetable oils with chemical additives. This chapter discusses the advantages of vegetable oils for use in biodegradable lubricants, composition and structure of vegetable oils, physico-chemical properties and biodegradability of vegetable oil based biodegradable lubricants. The effects of diluent and additives on biodegradability of the industrial lubricant formulated using high-oleic vegetable oils and lubricant additives are also discussed. The future prospects of such lubricants are discussed in light of US Government Federal Executive Order 13010 and 2002 Farm Bill.