Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #194597

Title: THE USE OF SOYBEAN OIL IN BIOBASED PRODUCTS

Author
item Erhan, Sevim

Submitted to: Mercosur Congress of Soybean Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2006
Publication Date: 6/27/2006
Citation: Erhan, S.Z. 2006. The use of soybean oil in biobased products. In: Proceedings of the 3rd Edition of the Mercosur Congress of Soybean (MERCOSOJA 2006), June, 27-30, 2006, Rosario, Argentina. p. 23-25.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The search for environmentally friendly materials that has potential to substitute mineral oil in various industrial applications is currently being considered a high priority research in the fuel and energy sector. This emphasis is largely due to the rapid depletion of world fossil fuel reserves and increasing concern for environmental pollution from excessive mineral oil use and their disposal especially in loss lubrication, military applications, and in outdoor activities such as forestry, mining, railroads, fishing and agriculture hydraulic systems. Vegetable oils as lubricants are preferred because they are biodegradable and non-toxic, unlike conventional mineral-based oils. They have very low volatility due to the high molecular weight of the triglyceride molecule and have a narrow range of viscosity changes with temperature. Polar ester groups are able to adhere to metal surfaces, and therefore, possess good boundary lubrication properties. In addition, vegetable oils have high solubilizing power for polar contaminants and additive molecules. On the other hand, vegetable oils have poor oxidative stability primarily due to the presence of bis-allylic protons and are highly susceptible to radical attack and subsequently undergo oxidative degradation to form polar oxy compounds. This study presents a systematic approach to improve the oxidation and cold flow behavior of vegetable oil derivatives using synergistic combination of additives in high-oleic vegetable oil blended with synthetic fluid.