ARS | Publication request: FATTY ACIDS AND ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS ON GREASE MICROSTRUCTURES

Submitted to: Industrial Crops and Products
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: March 31, 2004
Publication Date: January 28, 2005
Citation: Adhvaryu, A., Erhan, S.Z. 2005. Fatty acids and antioxidant effects on grease microstructures. Industrial Crops and Products. 21:285-291.

Interpretive Summary: Mineral oil is typically used for the manufacture of industrial greases. However they have problems of toxicity and are not biodegradable. Greases made from vegetable oils are eco-friendly and considered potential candidates for industrial uses. Composition and fiber structure in grease can significantly impact the grease properties such as lubrication, hardness, etc. This work discusses the importance of specialty chemicals and fatty acid structure in grease formulation. The work is of particular interest to industrial manufacturers who plan on substituting mineral oil based grease with seed oil based biodegradable material.

Technical Abstract: The fiber structure of soap based on lithium and different fatty acids has significant impact on the physical and chemical properties of grease. Soap fiber length and their cross-linking mechanism in the grease matrix control various important characteristics including hardness, pumpability, viscosity and tribo-chemical behavior. The current investigation presents the effect of fatty acid unsaturation, chain length, presence and absence of additive molecules on the lithium based soap crystallite structure using transmission electron microscopy.