Two approaches for bio-lubricant production from soybean oil with organosilicon

Abstract

With the rapid increasing of environmental pollution concerns and declining petroleum assets, bio-based lubricants industry has aroused increasingly more attention and study. The present paper proposed two methods (a two-step process and a direct hydrosiylation process) for the production of biolubricant from soybean oil with organosilicon. At first, soybean oil was subjected to transesterification with potassium hydroxide under certain conditions. Then, the transesterified soybean oil was undergone urea inclusion for obtaining unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters (UFAMEs). After urea inclusion, the content of UFAMEs was increased to 88.1%. Next, the chemical modification of UFAMEs by the two-step process (epoxidation and ring-opening reaction) and the direct hydrosiylation process (with triethylsilane in present of catalyst) were systematically studied, respectively. With the optimal conditions, the conversions of UFAMEs in the two-step process and direct hydrosiylation process were 86.1% and 82.1%, respectively. In addition, the structure characteristics of material and products were determined by Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscope and 29Si-Nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si-NMR) spectrascopy. The lubrication performances of the two products were proved to be much better than soybean oil according to industry standards. Therefore, both of the two processes appeared to be feasible for bio-lubricant production.