Abstract
The production and use of biolubricants as replacements for mineral lubricants align with the promotion of sustainable development goals, contributing to the sustainable economic growth of developing countries as well as the preservation of the environment. The implementation of biorefineries (where the production of biolubricants through transesterification could play an important role) is becoming important for these purposes, using natural feedstocks such as rapeseed, which is an interesting crop that can adapt to different climates under extreme weather conditions. The aim of this research work was to study the design of a reactor to produce rapeseed biolubricant through double transesterification of the corresponding vegetable oil. Thus, the kinetics to design a reactor was studied, sizing it according to the properties of the biolubricant and the demand in Spain. As a result, a SAE 10W30 biolubricant was obtained, which was suitable for Diesel engines. A batch reactor was selected for the production of this biolubricant at a national level, with a pseudo-first reaction order and a reactor volume of 9.66 m3.
Highlights
A biolubricant is a lubricant that is neither detrimental to health nor harmful to the environment
Apart from that, other physical properties that are improved compared to mineral lubricants are: better lubricity, higher flash and combustion points, or higher viscosity index, among others
The main raw materials for biolubricant production are vegetable oils, such as rapeseed, sunflower, soybean, safflower, etc., which are mainly composed of triglycerides
Summary
A biolubricant is a lubricant that is neither detrimental to health nor harmful to the environment Their main advantages, compared to the use of conventional lubricants, are their adaptation to green chemistry, biodegradability, sustainability and compliance with current legislation and customers’ needs, focused on environmentally friendly products [1]. In that sense, rapeseed is an interesting oil crop, as it is resistant to cold and hot climates in drylands, having short vegetation periods and a fatty acid composition that is suitable for food use, among others. The influence of the raw material on these products has been widely studied in the literature, presenting different viscosity or oxidative stability values depending on the fatty acid profile [5,6]
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