Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bio-oils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408595
Research Project: Versatile Biobased Products with Multiple Functions

Location: Bio-oils Research

Title: Evaluation of a high oleic soybean oil variety in lubricant and biodiesel applications

Author
item Winfield, Demichael
item Cermak, Steven - Steve
item Evangelista, Roque
item Moser, Bryan
item MCKINNEY, JUSTIN - University Of Tennessee
item PANTALONE, VINCE - University Of Tennessee

Submitted to: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/6/2023
Publication Date: 11/22/2023
Citation: Winfield, D.D., Cermak, S.C., Evangelista, R.L., Moser, B.R., McKinney, J., Pantalone, V. 2023. Evaluation of a high oleic soybean oil variety in lubricant and biodiesel applications. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12788.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12788

Interpretive Summary: Soybean oil is a useful starting material for making biobased products. In this work, we describe some applications of a new variety of soybean oil. This new variety proved advantageous for making biodiesel and lubricants. Biodiesel is a sustainable alternative to conventional diesel, and is biodegradable and non-toxic. Lubrication is important for many industries as it improves the efficiency and lifetime of equipment. Our soybean oil-based lubricant showed exceptional properties at low temperatures, and has potential to be used as a biobased lubricant.

Technical Abstract: Soybean oil is an abundant commodity crop that has garnered attention for its use as a feedstock for sustainable materials. Soybean oil is high in polyunsaturated fatty acid content, which can promote undesirable properties in biodiesel and lubricant applications. In this work, we characterized the fatty acid composition of commercial soybean oil along with two other soybean oil varieties, Ellis and TN18-4110. Ellis and commercial soybean oils had similar fatty acid compositions, while TN18-4110 was enriched in the monounsaturated oleic acid. Biodiesel and estolides were prepared from the three varieties and the relevant physical properties were measured. In comparison to commercial soybean diesel, both Ellis and TN18-4110 exhibited unique advantages. As estolide-based lubricants, all three varieties had advantageous cold flow properties, but TN18-4110 also possessed excellent oxidative stability and lower viscosity. The physical properties and structural property relationships of the biodiesel and estolides are discussed.