Thermal Stability of Bio-based Lubricants at High Temperature
Bio-based lubricants experience thermal degradation at temperatures exceeding 120°C, with oxidation rates up to five times higher than petroleum counterparts under sustained high-temperature conditions. These materials, derived primarily from plant oils and other renewable biomass, demonstrate rapid viscosity changes and acid number increases above their thermal thresholds—characteristics that significantly impact their functional lifespan in high-temperature applications.
The fundamental challenge lies in enhancing the thermal stability of bio-based lubricants without compromising their biodegradability, renewability, or lubricating performance.
This page brings together solutions from recent research—including aminophenol antioxidant integration, hydrogenation of biological hydrocarbon oils, lignin-derived aromatic compound incorporation, and medium chain triglyceride formulations. These and other approaches offer practical pathways for overcoming the thermal limitations of bio-based lubricants while maintaining their environmental advantages.
1. Lubricant Composition with Biomass-Derived Saturated Hydrocarbon Base Oil and Additive Blend
EVOLVE LUBRICANTS INC, 2025
A lubricant composition comprising a saturated hydrocarbon base oil derived from renewable biomass sources, such as plant oils, and a blend of additives that provide performance characteristics comparable to or exceeding those of conventional petroleum-based lubricants. The base oil is formulated from monomers and/or oligomers of C10-C18 olefin monomers, while the additive package includes a combination of synthetic esters, lubricant additives, friction modifiers, pour point depressants, antimicrobial preservatives, inhibitors, defoamers, and viscosity index improvers. The composition meets or exceeds 19 applicable American Petroleum Institute (API) certifications and demonstrates direct drop-in compatibility with current systems.
2. Bio-Based Lubricants and Base Oils Comprising Aromatic and Cycloaliphatic Compounds from Lignin-Derived Monomers
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, 2024
Bio-based lubricants and base oils for pharmaceutical and personal care applications, comprising aromatic and cycloaliphatic compounds derived from lignin-derived monomers. The bio-based compounds exhibit enhanced performance characteristics compared to conventional lubricants, including superior thermal stability, improved lubricity, and reduced hygroscopicity. The compounds can be synthesized through hydroxyalkylation/alkylation of lignin-derived monomers and subsequent hydrodeoxygenation. These bio-based lubricants can be formulated into base oils with varying levels of additives, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-based lubricants.
3. Plant-Based Oils for Sustainable Lubrication Solutions—Review
Diana Berman - MDPI AG, 2024
Traditional lubricants, often containing harmful chemicals and synthetic or fossil-derived oils, pose environmental risks by damaging ecosystems and threatening human health and wildlife. There is a growing demand for environmentally sustainable and cost-effective bio-based lubricants derived from renewable raw materials. These bio-based oils often possess natural lubricating properties, making them an attractive alternative to traditional synthetic lubricants. In addition to providing effective lubrication, they offer good biodegradability and minimal toxicity, which are essential for reducing environmental impact. However, the primary challenge lies in optimizing their performance to match or surpass that of conventional lubricants while ensuring they remain cost-effective and widely available. This paper reviews the general requirements for lubricants and explores how plant-based oils can be utilized to meet the diverse lubrication needs across various industries. Further, it highlights different approaches that can be used for further improvements in the area of plant-based lubri... Read More
4. 13 Biolubricants and its application in engineering
Atanu Kumar Paul, Sutapa Das - De Gruyter, 2024
Lubricants, commonly utilized in machinery to minimize friction, typically stem from petrochemical or mineral origins. Concerns over the environmental impact of mineral-based lubricants have spurred exploration into biodegradable alternatives. Vegetable oils present promising biodegradability and rheological traits at elevated temperatures, albeit exhibiting deficiencies in cold flow properties. The environmental ramifications of conventional lubricants, coupled with oil source depletion, have fueled demand for renewable and biodegradable lubricants. Biolubricants offer several benefits over mineral oil lubricants, including superior biodegradability, minimal toxicity, excellent lubricating capabilities, and limited adverse effects on both the environment and human health. Compressors are devices that raise a gas's pressure by using mechanical force. Vacuum pumps are compressors that produce vacuum by operating under suction pressure. In these applications, lubricants serve as a liquid seal, lubricate moving components, such as bearings and gears, and dissipate heat. Given that the l... Read More
5. Lubricant and Coating Composition with Medium Chain Triglycerides and Propylene Glycol Esters
PERLMAN CONSULTING LLC, 2024
A chemically stabilized lubricant and coating composition comprising medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) and propylene glycol esters, which provide a non-toxic, biodegradable, and stable alternative to traditional petroleum-based lubricants. The MCT-based composition exhibits exceptional oxidative stability, lubricity, and corrosion protection, making it suitable for a wide range of applications including household lubrication, cleaning, and surface coating.
6. Aminophenol Antioxidants with Formula I for Oxidation Inhibition of Natural Oil-Derived Materials
ECOLAB USA INC, 2024
Aminophenol antioxidants for inhibiting oxidation of natural oils and materials derived therefrom, such as biodiesel and biolubricants. The antioxidants, represented by Formula I, provide excellent protection against oxidation while maintaining the properties of the natural oil-derived materials. They can be added to biodiesel and biolubricants to prevent degradation and maintain performance characteristics.
7. Tribological characterisation of bio lubricant from cucurbita pepo L. seed oil
Ikramul Hossain Mondal, Monoj Baruah, Nabajit Dev Choudhury - Informa UK Limited, 2024
In recent years Bio-lubricants much desired in numerous applications in machineries due to their renewable characteristics, which have high biodegradable nature and produce fewer pollutants compared to mineral-based lubricants. Thus, in this paper, the effect of bio-lubricant (Cucurbita Pepo L. seed oil) on wear and friction characteristics in pin on disc tester is studied and compared with commercially available lubricant SAE20W40. Tests were conducted at different loads of 10 N, 50 N, 100 N, 150 N and 200 N at a constant speed of 3 m/s for 60 min to evaluate the behaviour of friction coefficient (COF) and wear at a temperature of 28C and 100C. It is observed from the results that, the COF decreases whereas, the wear increases with the rise in temperature and load. Cucurbita pepo L. seed oil (CPO) resulted in a lower wear rate in comparison to commercial SAE20W40. Wear scars on the surface lubricated with SAE20W40 show a rougher surface compared to the pin lubricated with CPO at both lower temperature (28C) and higher temperature (100C). This shows that CPO has better lubricity ... Read More
8. Composite of Carboxymethyl Cellulose/MXene and Span 60 as Additives to Enhance Tribological Properties of Bio-Lubricants
Dedison Gasni, Dieter Rahmadiawan, Ridho Irwansyah - MDPI AG, 2024
Bio-lubricants are the future of lubricants as a substitute for mineral lubricants; however, bio-lubricants have drawbacks, such as poor thermal-oxidative stability. In addition, during the friction process, the temperature of the lubricant increases, so the lubricant must have good thermal conductivity to conduct heat to the environment. To combat the drawbacks of bio-lubricants, some additives have been used to improve their performance as lubricants. Composites of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/MXene and Span 60 as surfactants were used as additives in CPO with different compositions. The physicochemical properties of the addition of CMC/MXene and Span 60 in CPO have changed, including kinematic viscosity, TAN, thermal conductivity, and fatty acids, which have a positive impact on lubrication performance in terms of reducing oxidation processes and increasing thermal conductivity. From fatty acid composition tests and FTIR analysis, the additives work to suppress the oxidation process. A pin-on-disk test was performed to evaluate the tribological performances of bio-lubricants. The... Read More
9. An experimental apparatus for the study of high-temperature degradation and solid-deposit formation of lubricants
Raquel Juárez, Eric L. Petersen - AIP Publishing, 2024
When exposed to high surface temperatures, engine lubricating oils degrade and may form solid deposits, which cause operational issues and increase shutdown time and maintenance costs. Despite its being a common issue in engine operation, the information available on the mechanics of this phenomenon is still lacking, and the experimental data and conditions must be updated to match the improvements in both lubricant stability and engine efficiency. To this end, an experimental apparatus has been developed to study the mechanisms that lead to the degradation and deposit formation of lubricants at high temperatures. The apparatus is designed to operate at pressures up to 69 bar, surface temperatures up to 650 C, oil bulk temperatures up to 550 C, and flow rates of <14 mL/min. In this apparatus, the oil is cycled through a heated test section, and deposits accumulate on the heated surface. The time required for deposits to start accumulating under the test conditions is determined based on the recorded temperature traces, and collected oil and deposit samples may be analyzed to... Read More
10. Research Status on the Physical Properties of Working fluid-Lubricant Mixture Systems{fr}État de la recherche sur les propriétés physiques des systèmes de mélange fluide de travail-lubrifiant
Zijian Lv, Tianci Zhang, Tingxiang Jin - Elsevier BV, 2024
As countries prioritize climate change concerns, promoting the use of new environmentally friendly working fluids has become a common goal for the industry. In thermal systems, lubricants come into contact with these working fluids and directly affect their utilization efficiency. Therefore, investigating the effect of lubricant mixing on the physical properties of process media is essential to promote the adoption of new environmentally friendly working fluids. This paper categorizes and organizes recent research literature on working fluids and lubricants. It was aimed to comprehend the effect of lubricants on the operating characteristics of working fluids. By comparing the research methods and experimental equipment utilized in previous studies, this work analyzes the variation of basic physical properties, including miscibility, solubility, viscosity, and gas-liquid phase equilibrium. In addition, the effects of lubricant mixing in terms of heat exchange characteristics, additives, and material compatibility are also summarized. These findings provide a reference for achieving o... Read More
11. Nano Bio-Lubricant as a Sustainable Trend in Tribology towards Environmental Stability: Opportunities and Challenges
Koleola Ebenezer Ojaomo, Syahrullail Samion, Mohd Zamri Mohd Yusop - Kyushu University, 2024
Bio lubricants derived from biomass can lessen the carbon footprint of production, lubrication, and energy production.When nanoparticles (NPs) additives are used, the performance improvement from the usage of bio-lubricant is more pronounced.This brief review highlights the key characteristics of current bio lubricants and the argument for utilizing sustainable bio lubricants that may be produced from agricultural feed stock with the potential to replace conventional mineral oil products.There is a need to shift to waste-derived oils and conduct research on alternative sources of bio-products to address the challenges of the lubricant/food competition, even though existing studies on bio lubricants have primarily focused on the use of vegetable oils and some non-edible oils.Most NPs additives combined with bio-lubricant, according to the literature, have the potential to reduce wear and friction.Furthermore, it was discovered that the NPs mechanisms during operations were responsible for the friction and wear reduction from nanofluids application.As a result, sliding contact was conv... Read More
12. Macroscale and durable near-zero wear performance on steel surface achieved by natural ternary deep eutectic solvents
Qiulong Gao, Shuwen Liu, Yan Huang - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), 2024
The development of environmentally friendly and cost-effective lubricating materials to reduce friction and wear at macroscale is crucial for reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, thereby enhancing sustainability. Deep eutectic...
13. High temperature lubrication performance of chlorophenyl silicone oil
Yan Meng, Xiangli Wen, Jie Cheng - Tsinghua University Press, 2024
Abstract Most studies of liquid lubricants were carried out at temperatures below 200 C. However, the service temperature of lubricants for aerospace and aeroengine has reached above 300 C. In order to investigate the friction mechanism and provide data for high temperature lubrication, the friction and wear properties of chlorophenyl silicone oil (CPSO)-lubricated M50 steel and Si 3 N 4 friction pairs were investigated herein. Ball-on-disk experimental results show that the lubrication performance of CPSO varies significantly with temperature. Below 150 C, coefficient of friction (COF) remains at 0.130.15 after the short running-in stage (600 s), while the COF in the running-in stage is 0.20.3. At 200 C and above, the running-in time is much longer (1,200 s), and the initial instantaneous maximum COF can reach 0.5. Under this condition, the COF gradually decreases and finally stabilizes at around 0.160.17 afterwards. This phenomenon is mainly due to the different thickness of boundary adsorption film. More importantly, the wear rate of M50 steel increases significantly with t... Read More
14. Feasibility Studies of Treated Used Cooking Palm Oil as Precursor for Bio-Lubricant
Muhamad Azwar Azhari, Nor Hasrul Akhmal Ngadiman, Noordin Mohd Yusof - Akademia Baru Publishing, 2023
The non-renewability and and non-biodegradability of petroleum based lubricants as well as the environmental impacts their waste contributes to the environment has caused the search for a substitute for precursor of lubricant formulation. The food security issue has caused major concerns on how vegetable oil could replace petroleum based product lubricants. This paper reports the feasibility studies of kinematic viscosity, friction and wear properties of treated used cooking palm oil as precursor for development of new bio-lubricant. The treated used cooking palm oil displayed a comparable value of kinematic viscosity of 43.6cSt, coefficient of friction of 0.126 and 122m which is almost similar to the value of fresh cooking palm oil. Treated used cooking palm oil is seen to be a suitable candidate for precursor of bio-lubricant formulation, However, some additives may need to be added as to increase the tribological properties for treated used cooking oil to be used as a bio-lubricant.
15. Thermo-Oxidative Stability and Tribological Properties of Biolubricants Obtained from Castor Oil Fatty Acids and Isoamyl Alcohol
Maria M.F. de Melo Neta, Gustavo R. R. Lima, Philipe de O. Tavares - MDPI AG, 2023
In this study, the thermo-oxidative stability and tribological behavior of bio-based lubricant samples synthesized from castor oil using isoamyl alcohol were evaluated. Initially, the compositional and physicochemical properties of the obtained samples were assessed using the 1H NMR, FTIR and ASTM methods. Oxidative stability of the samples was evaluated using the Rancimat method at 110 C under air flow. The final biolubricant sample (BL2), obtained after esterification, epoxidation and oxirane rings opening reactions, presented an oxidation stability time (OST) of 14.3 h. The thermal stability was also evaluated by thermogravimetry (TG) from the mass variations under inert and oxidative atmosphere. BL2 showed higher thermal stability compared to the other samples, demonstrating higher decomposition temperatures in both inert (339.04 C) and oxidative (338.47 C) atmospheres, for a mass loss of 50%. The tribological properties of the samples were evaluated using a four-ball tribometer configuration. The BL1 and BL2 samples exhibited lower friction coefficients than the mineral oil s... Read More
16. Vegetable Oil-Based Lubricant with Self-Generating Friction Film and Specific Additive Composition
NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY, 2023
A lubricant made from vegetable oil that self-generates a friction film during use, comprising 86 wt% vegetable oil, 10 wt% synthetic fatty acid triglyceride, 3.6 wt% surfactant, and 0.4 wt% antioxidant. The lubricant exhibits improved load-bearing capacity and wear resistance compared to mineral oil-based lubricants, while being environmentally friendly due to its plant-based composition.
17. Lubricating Oil Composition with Biomass-Derived Base Oil and Ester or Alcohol Oily Agent
ENEOS CORP, 2023
Lubricating oil composition with improved processability and reduced environmental impact, comprising a base oil derived from biomass and an oily agent selected from esters and alcohols, with a measured bio-based content of 20% or more. The composition may further include a phosphoric ester and a polyalkylene glycol, and exhibits enhanced lubricating properties and compatibility with mechanical components.
18. Bio-lubricant Composition Utilizing Animal-based Biochar Catalyst for Waste Cooking Oil Purification and Conversion
KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 2023
Bio-lubricant composition made from waste cooking oil using an animal-based biochar as a catalyst and adsorbent. The biochar is used to purify the waste oil, followed by esterification to convert free fatty acids into methyl esters, epoxidation to stabilize the triglycerides, and hydroxylation to increase viscosity. The resulting bio-lubricant has a viscosity between 40-200 centipoise and is substantially free of free fatty acids.
19. Biodegradable Oil-Resistant Agent Comprising Graft Polymer of Bio-Based Material and Long-Chain Hydrocarbon Group-Containing Polymer
DAIKIN IND LTD, 2023
A biodegradable oil-resistant agent comprising a graft polymer obtained by modifying a bio-based material with a long-chain hydrocarbon group-containing polymer. The graft polymer exhibits excellent high-temperature oil resistance and is suitable for applications where oil resistance at high temperatures is required, particularly in food packaging materials.
20. A Review on Bio-Lubricants as an Alternative Green Product:Tribological Performance, Mechanism, Challenges and Future Opportunities
Anthony Chukwunonso Opia, Mohd Fadzli Bin Abdollah, Mohd Kameil Abdul Hamid - Japanese Society of Tribologists, 2023
Industries, especially those related to transportation, have relied extensively on petroleum products for lubrication, raising serious questions about the security of the world energy supply in the future. Observed that the end-products might be released back into the environment, posing major environmental risks. As a result, bio-based products have attracted increasing interest as prospective replacement to mineral-based type due to their important role in resolving the issues of pollution. With renewability and biodegradability as their greatest points, bio-based lubricants have been discovered to offer superior lubricating qualities to those of traditional mineral lubricants but currently have some undesirable qualities that need to be improved based on the literatures. Therefore, this research objective is to showcase the potential of bio-lubricants, both in terms of their environmental benefits and for technical applications, based on studies that have been published over the years. Review of the natural oil's molecular structures, physio-chemical characteristics, and lubricati... Read More
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