ARS | Publication request: New crop oils - Properties as potential lubricants

Submitted to: Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 12, 2012
Publication Date: November 12, 2012
Citation: Cermak, S.C., Biresaw, G., Isbell, T., Evangelista, R.L., Murray, R.E. 2012. New crop oils - Properties as potential lubricants [abstract]. Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Conference. p. 53.

Technical Abstract: New crops oils such as lesquerella, field pennycress, meadowfoam and cuphea were investigated and compared to common commodity vegetable oils for their fatty acid profiles, low temperature and lubricating properties. The fatty acid profile investigation showed that lesquerella is high in hydroxy fatty acid (HFA), greater than 52%, and cuphea had high levels of saturated fatty acid (SFA), greater than 82%. Low temperature and viscosity properties were also measured and compared to common commodity vegetable oils as well as commercial petroleum-based oils. The higher levels of SFA in cuphea led to high pour points (PP) of 3 deg C. Pennycress and lesquerella had some of the best PP among the new crop oils, -21 and -24 deg C, respectively, while castor had a PP of -30 deg C. All the plant-based oils, except castor and lesquerella, had excellent viscosity index in the range of 167–231. New crop oils with antioxidant additive (1-3%) were as oxidatively stable as current commercial petroleum products based on the rotating pressurized vessel oxidation test (RPVOT) and gave times >200 min. Wear scar diameters (WSD) of the vegetable-based oils from the 4-ball anti-wear test showed the best results for cuphea and pennycress, with WSD of 0.530 and 0.594 mm, respectively. In general, the new crop oils were found to have specific unique advantages over traditional commodity vegetable oils. Spider plots were used to compare new crop oils to commercial oils on a defined goodness scale.