Chemical modification of waste cooking oil for the biolubricant production through transesterification process

Abstract

Concerns and restrictions around contamination and environmental pollution are developing. The production of waste cooking oil and the pollution brought on by mineral oils are two important issues. The FSSAI's new standards state that cooking oil that contains more than 25% polar compounds is inappropriate for use and should be discarded. Therefore, both issues can be resolved with the aid of chemical modifications to waste cooking oil. Waste cooking oils are an attractive alternative to mineral oils because they are biodegradable and renewable sources of lubricants. The goal of the current research work is to create an environmentally friendly lubricant through transesterification reaction. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) of WCO with various alcohols (1-Heptanol, 2-Ethyl-1-Hexanol & Neopentyl Glycol) with diverse branching were used to create bio lubricant. As a heterogeneous catalyst, zinc acetate was used to carry out the reaction. Complex esters, which have been produced, have the potential to be used as biodegradable lubricants in industrial lubricant applications. Using the GC-MS technique, the structure of the generated bio lubricant was examined. The structural modification of waste cooking oil resulted in improvement in both physicochemical and tribological properties. The created bio lubricant had improved flash and fire points as well as a superior viscosity index (>120). The generated bio lubricant possesses friction characteristics that are comparable to those of commercial mineral oil-based lubricants. According to the results of this study, waste cooking oil lubricant has a lot of potential for use as a base stock due to its favorable biodegradability and tribological performance.