ARC Eco-Lube - A Food Industry Waste-Based Green Lubricant

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AbstractDue to a perpetual source of various waste products, the food industry is a potential source of different raw materials for different industrial applications including the oil and gas industry. These waste products can be processed, treated or modified for various industrial uses to mitigate or overcome some of the technical challenges. For example, the waste vegetable oil generated by the food industry can be used to develop eco-friendly lubricants for exploration and exploitation of oil and gas resources without any detrimental impact to the surrounding environment, ecosystems and habitats. This paper describes an eco-friendly lubricant developed using waste vegetable oil generated by the food industry.Experimental results indicate a significant reduction in the COF values of the water-based muds in the presence of the newly developed lubricant. Comparison of the COF reduction capability of the new lubricant with respect to non-environment friendly and poorly biodegradable diesel and mineral oils indicate better or similar performance for the newly developed lubricant. It also showed virtually similar performance in lab lubricity test with respect to a commercial green lubricant used by the industry and thus demonstrates its suitability as an alternative to commercial green lubricants. As the lubricant has been developed using a locally available food industry waste product, it will play a positive role in the growth of the local industries and enterprises. The localization of the lubricant development will create new employment opportunities for the local communities. Moreover, it will contribute in the growth of local and national economy and also in lifting the social and economic condition of the local communities.Incorporation of the lubricant in water-based mud will reduce the COF values significantly without any change to the environmental characteristics of water-based muds. Hence, it can be used in mitigating the torque and drag problem while drilling in sensitive environments such as offshore and deep water drilling environments.