Total vegetable‐oil based greases prepared from castor oil

Total vegetable oil greases are those in which both the lubricant and gellant are formed from vegetable oil. Vegetable oil may be used as a lubricant as such or, with appropriate structural modification, as an ester or alkylated ester. Total vegetable oil greases have the advantage of good biodegradability and conform to the requirements for high performance. Total vegetable‐oil based greases can be formed by mixing preformed soap and lubricant in the required proportions to form a grease with the desired properties. Alternatively, a grease can be formed from the same vegetable oil by simultaneous alcoholysis and saponification of the oil to form the lubricant and soap. The alkali used as a catalyst for the alcoholysis reaction serves as a reactant for the saponification reaction. The use of the appropriate proportion of oil, alcohol, and alkali will thus form a grease of the desired composition. A simultaneous reaction scheme to form sodium and lithium grease using castor oil has been studied. The alcoholysis reaction is separately studied for its kinetics, and the kinetics of the alcoholysis and saponification reaction are reported. Greases with 20% soap have been formed and their properties evaluated.     

An assessment of beeswax as a thickener for environmentally friendly lubricating grease production

Environmentally friendly lubricants are preferred in many applications where groundwater or soil pollution is possible. The main purpose of the current study was to evaluate the possibility of beeswax use as a thickener for lubricating greases. European beeswax was used as a thickening material for the preparation of lubricating greases. Rapeseed oil and two mineral oils were used as base oils. The consistency, dropping point temperature, and tribological properties of the prepared lubricating greases were investigated and compared with conventional soap‐thickened greases. The prepared greases exhibited good tribological properties, especially the rapeseed‐oil‐based grease. However, tribological properties of conventional lubricating grease were superior to prepared ones. The weakness of the prepared lubricating greases is their narrow working temperature range. However, the beeswax together with rapeseed oil has great potential in the production of environmentally friendly, completely renewable lubricating greases. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of lubricating fluid type on the properties of biodegradable greases

The lubricating ability of a grease depends on both the base oil and the thickener. As a result of their intrinsic properties and/or because of their com‐patibility with thickeners and specific additives, base fluids have different influences upon the properties of grease formulations. It is well known that mineral oils are the most widely used lubricant bases due to their inherent lubricity and lower cost, but recent environmental concern has led to consideration of the use of vegetable oils and readily biodegradable synthetic fluids as raw materials in lubricating grease formulations. As well as the base materials, the additives for biodegradable greases should also be biodegradable. This requirement limits the kind of products that may be used in environmentally friendly greases. This paper presents comparative data concerning the tribological and physico‐chemical properties of biodegradable greases formulated with certain vegetable oils, such as rape seed oil, castor oil, and soybean oil or their mixtures, and synthetic esters. The improvement of the load‐carrying properties of biodegradable greases and the antioxidative effect of some suitable additives have also been studied, and the results are presented here.     

Vegetable oil derivatives: environment‐friendly lubricants and fuels

A critical appraisal is made of the applications of vegetable oils, the fatty esters complex and synthetic esters as rapidly biodegradable and non‐toxic lubricants and fuels in the developed countries of America, Europe and Asia. The criteria employed for assessing the toxicity and biodegradability of the various fluids and limits set by various state and regional organizations are reviewed. The properties of vegetable oils, fatty esters, chemically modified esters and synthetic esters relevant for performance as lubricants in various applications such as hydraulic oils, refrigeration oils, chainsaw lubricants, metalworking fluids, engine oils, two‐stroke oils, mould release lubricants, greases, gear and transmission oils vis‐à‐vis conventional mineral oils and greases for corresponding applications are compared. The advantages, such as high lubricity, viscosity–temperature relationship, low lubricant consumption, energy efficiency combined with public health, safety and environmental contamination, more than offset the disadvantages of initial costs in most of these applications. It has been suggested that modified and stabilized oils of wasteland and forest origin and other non‐edible oils and their chemically modified derivatives can be produced at relatively cheaper cost than similar oils marketed in the developed world and can be introduced in India with immense environmental and performance benefits, particularly in applications involving high environmental contamination safety and public health. When blended with highly refined diesel fuels, methyl esters can work as highly efficient environment‐friendly fuels particularly for applications in passenger transport, light commercial vehicles and generators. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self-diffusion of oil in lubricating greases by NMR

Self-diffusion of base oil in six model lubricating greases and in the base oils themselves was measured using pulsed-field gradient nucleic magnetic resonance (NMR) at 23, 40, 70, and 90°C. Three of the greases were based on naphthenic mineral oils, and three were based on synthetic polyalphaolefin oils. Soaps of 12-hydroxy stearic acid were used as thickener agents in all six greases. The purpose of the investigation using NMR was to see if structure varies with temperature, and if NMR is a viable method for structure determination. The ratio between the diffusion coefficient of the base oil in the grease and the neat base oil in itself was evaluated as a function of temperature. This ratio was taken as a direct indicator of the obstruction effect that the thickener has on the oil. The thickener showed a stronger obstruction effect on the base oil in the synthetic grease than in the mineral-based grease. This was related to the soap content, which, for these greases, is roughly twice as high in the synthetic greases as in the mineral ones. The obstruction effect was constant in the temperature range 40–90°C for mineral- as well as synthetic-based greases. NMR was judged to be a promising method for investigating how the gellant affects the diffusion coefficient of oil in a lubricating grease.     

Some experience with biodegradable lubricants

A significant amount of lubricating oils and greases can enter the environment, producing contamination of both soil and water. Over the last few years, pressure on lubricant producers and consumers has caused them to seek a solution involving less environmentally harmful lubricants. In Croatia, a significant quantity of lubricants is disposed of without control, polluting soil and water; as a result, lubricant producers have looked seriously at biodegradable lubricating oils and greases. This paper presents information on development of some biodegradable hydraulic oils and lubricating greases based on lithium and calcium soaps, using synthetic esters and rapeseed oil, and presents their physical and chemical properties, and their applications.     

Study of some non-edible vegetable oils of Indian origin for lubricant application

Due to growing environmental concerns, eco-friendly processes and materials have become one of the key interests of research and in the area of tribology, natural esters are gaining popularity as lubricants. Natural esters are being used in many applications as eco-friendly lubricant base. In Europe, canola/rapeseed oil and sunflower oil are mainly used, whereas in the USA, soybean oil is in use for formulating environmentally friendly lubricants. Native and genetically modified high oleic varieties of these oils are being widely used. In the Indian scenario, since the above-mentioned oils are scarcely available for industrial applications, there is a need to look for other viable alternatives. Some candidate non-edible vegetable oils of Indian origin were selected which were unexplored or less explored in the field of lubricant application, and their suitability in lubricant application focusing mainly on physico-chemical characteristics, thermo-oxidative stability and lubrication characteristics was studied. These oils were found to be promising candidates for application in lubricants in view of their physico-chemical characteristics and better thermo-oxidative and hydrolytic stability. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improvement of thermooxidative stability of non‐edible vegetable oils of Indian origin for biodegradable lubricant application

For environmental reasons, as well as the dwindling source of petroleum, a new class of environmentally acceptable and renewable lubricants based on vegetable oils is available. Even though vegetable oils possess excellent lubricant‐related properties, there are some concerns about using it as lubricant base oil. Still, unmodified and modified varieties of soybean, rapeseed, sunflower and canola oils have been in use in the USA and Europe. In India, with the shortage of edible oil, alternate sources of vegetable oils stocks are being explored. With this aim, a comprehensive study has been conducted earlier in the authors' laboratory. In this study, numerous options of non‐edible vegetable oil sources were explored, and a few potential vegetable oils were studied in the laboratory. It was found that even though the oils performed much better in comparison with other vegetable oils, it still required improvement in thermooxidative stability. Therefore, in the later part of the study, different options were explored to improve thermooxidative stability. With a background on the initial studies of the authors as described above, the present paper deals with the studies on improvement of these non‐edible candidate vegetable oils of Indian origin for lubricant by treating with selected antioxidants for applying them in lubricants. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mixtures of vegetable oils and di‐2‐ethylhexyl‐sebacate as lubricants

Lubricants based on vegetable oils are growing in popularity in various applications. Environmentally friendly, vegetable oils and their derivatives constitute alternatives to mineral‐based lubricants. Soybean oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil have better viscosity indices than mineral oils and even some synthetic oils, are biodegradable and have low production costs. However, vegetable oils have disadvantages, such as poor thermo‐oxidative stability due to the carbon–carbon double bonds and poor low‐temperature properties, which limit their use as lubricant base stocks. This study describes new base‐stock oils obtained from mixture of vegetable oils and di‐2‐ethylhexyl‐sebacate synthetic oil, which become lubricants when additives are introduced. These mixtures offer a large range of kinematic viscosities, while their pour points are under −33°C and their flash points over 240°C. The copper strip corrosion test result is 1a. The diameters of wear scars measured under four‐ball testing (40dyn) are less than 1mm. A differential scanning calorimetry study and a thermo‐gravimetric study under a nitrogen atmosphere for the mixed oils are reported. In the former study two‐endothermic processes were observed between −15°C and −50°C. In the thermo‐gravimetric analysis curve the weight loss is specific for each vegetable and synthetic oil component. From these studies a higher thermal stability was observed for vegetable oils than for ester oils, and it was concluded that the mixtures of vegetable and synthetic oils of diester type are physically homogeneous mixtures. The low production cost of lubricants based on vegetable oils makes them attractive alternatives for mineral oil based lubricants. Overall the mixtures of vegetable and ester oils can be competitive base oils for environmentally friendly lubricants. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基础油对锂基脂安定性的影响

为研究基础油对锂基脂安定性能的影响。在相同酸碱比例、皂份和相同工艺等条件下,采用12-羟基硬脂酸体系稠化相同黏度不同组分的基础油,制备系列通用锂基润滑脂,分析基础油黏度指数、苯胺点和饱和烃含量对锂基润滑脂安定性能的影响。结果表明:随基础油黏度指数、苯胺点和饱和烃含量的升高,锂基脂工作锥入度、抗水喷雾和压力分油增大,而十万次剪切差值和蒸发量减小;基础油黏度指数、苯胺点和饱和烃含量三者与锂基脂安定性能呈现正相关性,与锂皂的溶解性呈现负相关性。     

Metalworking emulsions from industrial vegetable oils

In the present work, an attempt has been made to develop the indigenous formulation for metalworking lubricants by replacing mineral oils partially with non‐edible industrial oils like rapeseed and karanja oil. Metalworking formulations consist of vegetable oil, mineral oil, an emulsifier and commercial additives for better performance. Non‐edible vegetable oils such as karanja and rapeseeds are renewable, biodegradable and cheaper than synthetic fluids. The constituent vegetable oils and mineral oils were evaluated for physico‐chemical characteristics and blended as per the saponification value and viscosity requirements of the reference oils. The so formulated oils are taken as 5% oil‐in‐water emulsion and tested for lubricity, load bearing capacity, particle size distribution, wear test, weld load test and plate‐out test. Performance of all formulated oils was compared with that of the reference oils, and optimized to meet the market requirements. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A potential biodegradable lubricant from castor biodiesel esters

Worldwide, 12 million tonnes per year of lubricants are disposed of in the environment through leakages, exhausted gas, incorrect disposal, water–oil emulsions and so on. Some are resistant to biodegradation, representing an environmental threat. One solution to modify this situation is the replacement of mineral oils by biodegradable synthetic lubricants. Esters, whose chemical structures are similar to natural triglycerides, are excellent substitutes for mineral oils. Castor oil contains around 90% ricinoleic acid, and as a result, castor oil has a higher viscosity and a lower viscosity index, compared with other vegetable oils. This work was based on the production of biodegradable lubricant base fluids from castor biodiesel esters, using various chemical catalysts to yield products with interesting properties, such as high viscosity index and good oxidation stability, compared with mineral oils. This route to lubricants is safer, more economical and more efficient. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthetic aluminium complex grease: A tribological evaluation using a four‐ball test

This paper describes the preparation and performance evaluation of a synthetic aluminium complex grease. The aluminium complex grease was prepared in situ by reacting stearic acid and benzoic acid in the presence of a synthetic base oil, polyalphaolefin. The preparation of the soap (aluminium benzoate stearate hydroxide) was monitored using Fourier transform infrared. Two different extreme‐pressure additives blended with the prepared aluminium complex grease were evaluated for their extreme‐pressure activity in four‐ball and Timken tests. These greases exhibited higher Timken OK loads (60 lb), lower values of wear‐scar diameter at higher loads, and higher values of weld load in the four‐ball test than the aluminium complex grease without additive. The blended greases were also found to pass rust and corrosion, oxidation‐stability, and shear‐stability tests. The topography of the specimens after four‐ball testing was studied with scanning electron microscopy.     

Frictional performance of lithium 12‐hydroxystearate greases with different soap fibre structures in sliding contacts

The effect of the fibre structure of the grease on the frictional performance of lithium 12‐hydroxystearate greases with different fibre lengths was investigated in face, line, and point contact sliding tests. At high sliding speeds where the lubrication regime was practically hydrodynamic, the coefficient of friction of the base oil alone was lower than that of the greases. The coefficient of friction was roughly estimated as follows: base oil < long‐fibre grease < medium‐fibre grease < short‐fibre grease. The supply or replenishing capability of the grease played a critical role in maintaining hydrodynamic lubrication. At high contact pressures, the short‐fibre grease was superior in frictional performance to the long‐fibre grease due to the firm fibre network structure of the latter. In mixed and boundary lubrication regimes, the greases were superior in frictional performance to the base oil, since the soap fibres of the greases had a superior load‐carrying capacity. The long‐fibre grease, with a firm fibre structure, offered better frictional performance than the short‐fibre one.     

Tribological degradation of two vegetable‐based lubricants at elevated temperatures

Renewable‐based lubricants are being considered as potential alternatives to petroleum‐based lubricants for various reasons, mainly increased environmental sensitivity. However, understanding the tribological performance of such vegetable‐based lubricants under elevated temperatures is critical for their industrial implementation. This study focuses on the friction and abrasion rate characteristics of soybean and sunflower base oils in comparison to a base mineral oil under sliding wear at elevated temperatures. It was found that the abrasion rate and friction were less severe for the vegetable‐based lubricants up to temperatures around 100°C. The observed performance of the vegetable‐based lubricants was verified using a kinetic reaction mechanism model of lubricant degradation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study of pentaerythritol tetraoleate ester as industrial gear oil

Attention has been paid to biodegradable lubricating oils in the field of lubricant application because of environmental pollution control measures. In Europe and in some part of Asia, the use of environmentally acceptable lubricant is supported by environmental labels. Synthetic and vegetable oil‐based esters offer the best choice in formulating environment‐friendly lubricants. Pentaerythritol tetraoleate ester has been synthesised using polyol such as pentaerythritol and oleic acid with indigenous ion exchange resin (Indion‐130) catalyst. The product was characterised for its physicochemical properties and was evaluated for lubrication performance. This was then compared with extreme pressure type of industrial gear oil VG‐68 (IS 8406:1993). The product was found to have good potential for use as a base stock for formulation as extreme pressure type of industrial gear oil VG‐68 (IS 8406:1993). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of grease rheology on thrust ball bearings friction torque

The friction torque and the operating temperatures in a thrust ball bearing were measured for seven different types of greases, including three biodegradable greases having low toxicity. These friction torque tests were performed using a modified Four-Ball machine.Rheological evaluations of the lubricating greases were made using a rheometer. Bleed oils were extracted from the greases and the dynamic viscosities were measured.In order to compare the performance of the lubricant greases in terms of friction, the grease characteristics were related to experimental results, showing that the interaction between thickener and base oil have strong influences in the bearing friction torque.     

Modification of the chemical structure of an environmentally‐friendly castor oil lubricant

Widely used mineral‐oil based lubricants are often released into the environment and cause pollution. Therefore importance is attached to developing environmentally‐friendly lubricants. Vegetable oils have been used as lubricants since ancient times. These materials, similar to synthetic esters, have better biodegradability than mineral oils. They are also renewable. Vegetable oils have some shortcomings, such as a higher pour point and a lower viscosity index than synthetic esters. They have a limited viscosity range and lower oxidative stability due to the presence of unsaturated bonds. Therefore vegetable oils as such cannot satisfy all the requirements of modern machine lubrication. In this paper, the chemical structure of natural castor oil is modified by an isomerisation reaction and by extending the carbon chain, so as to lower the pour point and improve the viscosity index. The results show that structurally modified castor oil has very good lubrication characteristics. Its viscosity at 40°C is 150 mm²/s, its pour point is −40°C, and its viscosity index is improved. The antiwear and friction characteristics are better than those of mineral oil of the same viscosity and comparable to pentaerythritol esters and diisocapryl sebacate.     

Film thickness in a ball-on-disc contact lubricated with greases,bleed oils and base oils

Three different lubricating greases and their bleed and base oils were compared in terms of film thickness in a ball-on-disc test rig through optical interferometry. The theoretical values calculated according to Hamrock's equation are in close agreement with the base oil film thickness measurements, which validates the selected experimental methodology.The grease and bleed oil film thickness under fully flooded lubrication conditions presented quite similar behaviour and levels. Therefore, the grease film thickness under full film conditions might be predicted using their bleed oil properties, namely the viscosity and pressure-viscosity coefficient. The base and bleed oil lubricant parameter LP are proportional to the measured film thickness.A relationship between grease and the corresponding bleed oil film thickness was evidenced.     

Producing multigrade lubricating greases from animal and vegetable fat by‐products

This paper reports on some work concerned with the synthesis and characterisation of three lubricating greases based on animal bone fat, cottonseed soapstock, and a mixture of them both. The physico‐chemical properties of these fats were established and showed them to be good thickeners in the preparation of different types of greases. It was shown that the growth of the soap structure and grease consistency depend on the type of fat as well as on the viscosity of the lubricating oil in the grease formulation. The greases so synthesised were assessed in accordance with standard NLGI grades and Egyptian standards. Their rheological and thermal behaviour was studied, which revealed that the synthesised greases have significant yield stress at normal operating temperature and good flow properties. It was concluded that the above mentioned fat by‐products are suitable for producing greases.