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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #361709
Title: Natural oils as lubricants

Author
item PEREZ, JOSEPH - Pennsylvania State University
item RUDNICK, LESLIE - Pennsylvania State University
item SHARMA, BRAJENDRA - University Of Illinois
item KOHLI, KIRTIKA - University Of Illinois
item Erhan, Sevim

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/22/2019
Publication Date: 2/13/2020
Citation: Perez, J.M., Rudnick, L.R., Sharma, B.K., Kohli, K., Erhan, S.Z. 2020. Natural oils as lubricants. Book Chapter. In Leslie Rudnick (Ed). Synthetics, Mineral Oils, and Bio-Based Lubricants, p.387-399. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315158150.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315158150

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There is an increasing demand for ‘‘green’’ lubricants and lubricant additives in recent years due to concerns about loss of mineral oil-based lubricants to the environment and increasingly strict government regulations controlling their use. Biodegradability has become one of the more important design parameters both in the selection of the base fluid and in the overall formulation of the finished lubricant. A readily biodegradable lubricant is one that breaks down in the environment in a specified time when evaluated by standard biodegradability tests; the fluids are converted to lower molecular weight components that have essentially no environmental impact. The rate at which lubricants, and other chemicals or additive components, biodegrade is related to their chemical structure. Their chemical structure affects their properties, many of which affect how they perform in the various tests for biodegradability. The demand for biodegradable lubricants is the result of a growing concern for the impact of our technology on the environment. This concern is the result of a combination of local and national regulations and a result of consumer influence. European countries, specifically Germany, Austria, and the Scandinavian countries, have led the efforts in this region. In the United States, the use of biodegradable lubricants has a positive effect on our attempts to reduce our dependence on high-cost petroleum imports.