Development of Fully Bio‐Based Lubricants from Agro‐Industrial Residues under Environmentally Friendly Processes

• Published in: European journal of lipid science and technology Vol. 122; no. 5
• Main Authors: Almeida, Mayara O., Silva, Lucas R. R., Kotzebue, Lloyd R. V., Maia, Francisco J. N., Acero, Juan S. R., Mele, Giuseppe, Mazzetto, Selma E., Sinatora, Amilton, Lomonaco, Diego
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-05-2020
• Subjects: agro waste applications; biolubricants; Biomedical materials; cardanol; Catalysts; Coefficient of friction; ecofriendly lubricants; Edible oils; Food production; Fourier transforms; Infrared spectroscopy; Lubricants; Lubricity; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Oils & fats; Reaction time; Reaction time task; Stability analysis; Synthesis; Tribology; Vegetable oils; Wear rate
• ISSN: 1438-7697; 1438-9312
• DOI: 10.1002/ejlt.201900424

Biolubricants are becoming interesting alternatives to mineral lubricants. Despite their advantages, development of lubricants from vegetable oils may compete with food production, turning their use impractical due to socio‐economic aspects. Here, cardanol is used as raw material in the synthesis of novel biolubricants under environmentally friendly conditions. These compounds are characterized by NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermal‐oxidative studies show the elevated stability and higher onset oxidative temperatures. Tribological analyses performed under high‐frequency linear‐oscillation motion indicate lower coefficients of friction and wear rates compared to a synthetic oil. Therefore, cardanol, under simple, fast, and sustainable processes can be transformed into valuable alternatives for petroleum‐based lubricants.
Practical Applications: The novel cardanol‐based biolubricants presented in this work show interesting chemical and lubricity properties superior to standard synthetic oils, which make them potential substitutes for the current oil‐based products used as lubricants. Additionally, the ecofriendly methodologies employed reduce significantly the reaction time as well as eliminating the need for catalysts or solvents, making these processes viable alternatives for the traditional methods reported in literature for the synthesis of this class of compounds.
Novel bio‐based lubricants are synthesized from cashew nutshell liquid, an agro‐industrial waste, under environmentally friendly conditions. Results reveal lower coefficients of friction and wear rates compared to a standard synthetic oil.