Modification of the chemical structure of an environmentally‐friendly castor oil lubricant

Abstract

AbstractWidely used mineral‐oil based lubricants are often released into the environment and cause pollution. Therefore importance is attached to developing environmentally‐friendly lubricants. Vegetable oils have been used as lubricants since ancient times. These materials, similar to synthetic esters, have better biodegradability than mineral oils. They are also renewable. Vegetable oils have some shortcomings, such as a higher pour point and a lower viscosity index than synthetic esters. They have a limited viscosity range and lower oxidative stability due to the presence of unsaturated bonds. Therefore vegetable oils as such cannot satisfy all the requirements of modern machine lubrication. In this paper, the chemical structure of natural castor oil is modified by an isomerisation reaction and by extending the carbon chain, so as to lower the pour point and improve the viscosity index.The results show that structurally modified castor oil has very good lubrication characteristics. Its viscosity at 40°C is 150 mm2/s, its pour point is −40°C, and its viscosity index is improved. The antiwear and friction characteristics are better than those of mineral oil of the same viscosity and comparable to pentaerythritol esters and diisocapryl sebacate.