Abstract
Extracted Jatropha oil was analyzed for their chemical and physical properties such as density, acid value, % FFA, saponification value as well as viscosities at 40 and 100oC and viscosity index. The result of the analyses of the Jatropha oil reveals that it has a very high %FFA (14.6%). Reduction was achieved by esterification with methanol (to 0.44%). The method employed for the production of biolubricant involved two stages transesterification process, the first stage produced methyl ester of the oil and in the second stage; the methyl ester was transesterified with ethylene glycol to produce the biolubricant. Major lubricating properties of the product such as pour point, viscosities at 40°C and at 100°C, and the viscosity index were analyzed and found to have value of -7°C, 55.22 cSt, 10.96 cSt and 195.22 respectively. It was found that the biolubricant produced is comparable to the ISO VG-46 commercial standards for light and industrial gears applications and other plant based biolubricant. Key words: Jatropha oil, esterification, transesterification, biolubricant.
Highlights
The depletion of the world’s crude oil reserve couple with the consumption rate, increase in petroleum prices and scarcities, and issues related to conservation have brought about renewed interest in the use of bio-based materials
The properties of the crude oil which are pertinent to lubricity are the viscosities at 40 and 100°C, viscosity index and the pour point
Synthetic esters namely Jatropha biolubricant was synthesized via transesterification method and the major lubricating properties of the synthesized biolubricant were analyzed
Summary
The depletion of the world’s crude oil reserve couple with the consumption rate, increase in petroleum prices and scarcities, and issues related to conservation have brought about renewed interest in the use of bio-based materials. It has been estimated that the global transportation energy use is expected to increase by an average of 1.8% per year from 2005 to 2025. Most fossil fuel energy consumption in the transportation sector is from crude oil (97.6%), the expected depletion of fossil fuels and environmental problems associated with burning them have encouraged many researchers to investigate the possibility of using alternative fuels, in which biodiesel is considered to be a very promising resource (Shah et al, 2013). Biolubricant production is necessary to serve as a substitute lubricant to supplement or replace conventional lubricants due to its numerous advantages such as renewability, biodegradability and lower gaseous emission profile
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