Non-edible vegetable oils as bio-lubricant basestocks: A review

Caleb Abiodun Popoola * and Titus Yusuf Jibatswen

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Federal University Wukari, Nigeria.
 
 
Review
Open Access Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 2024, 06(02), 080–086.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjet.2024.6.2.0040
Publication history: 
Received on 07 April 2022; revised on 12 May 2024; accepted on 15 May 2024
 
Abstract: 
Bio-lubricants are becoming important alternative to mineral oil based lubricants due to growing international concerns about environmental pollution associated with the use and disposal of mineral oil based lubricants. Vegetable oils are nowadays considered as viable bio-resource and promising candidates for the development of bio-based lubricants. As a result, more than 95% of world bio-lubricant is produced from edible oils such as groundnut oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, canola oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil. This has affected price, production, uses and availability of these oils for human consumption and brought serious competition between food and lubricants. It is also believed that large-scale production of bio-lubricant from edible oil may bring global imbalance to food supply and demand market. In order to overcome this devastating phenomenon, researches have shifted focus to non-edible oils which are very economical comparable to edible oils and potentially offer greatest opportunities in the longer term for effective lubricant production. Intensive review of recent research works shows that non-edible vegetable oils have high potential to replace edible ones.
 
Keywords: 
Bio-lubricant; Non-edible vegetable oils; Lubrication; Pollution; Biodegradable
 
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