BIO-
LUBRICANTS
PRODUCTION METHODS
by- Om Gupta
Varun Shukla
Shivam Rawat
3rd B.Tech. Oil
What are bio-
lubricants?
• Bio-lubricants
are made from a variety of vegetable oils, such as
rapeseed, canola, sunflower, soybean, palm and coconut oils.
• They are basically those lubricants, which are derived from
renewable biological sources like animal fats, vegetable oils, etc.
• Bio-lubricants also known as bio-based lubricants or bio-lubes.
Applications
• The major application for bio-lubricants is in machinery
that loses oil directly into the environment during use,
total loss lubricants, and in machinery used in any
sensitive areas such as in or near water.
• Itincludes two-stroke engines, chainsaw bars and chains,
cables and machine lubricants.
Methods of production
• Vegetable oil extraction
• Transesterification
• Hydrogenation
• Chemical Synthesis
• Biological Fermentation
VEGETABLE OIL
EXTRACTION
• Vegetable oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, and
palm oil can be extracted and refined to produce bio lubricants.
• These oils are rich in triglycerides which can be further processed into
lubricants.
• The lubricants produced with this
method offers low toxicity, high lubricity
and reduced carbon footprint, making
them preferable over petroleum based
lubricants.
TRANS-ESTERIFICATION
• Feedstock of Soybean oil, palm oil, etc. are refined to ensure removal of
impurities, when Methanol as a catalyst is added which helps in speeding
the reaction and improving it’s efficiency.
• The mixture is mixed and heated thoroughly to ensure uniform distribution.
Heating helps to increase the rate of the trans-esterification reaction.
• Tri-glycerides in the oil react with methanol added externally to form Fatty
Acid Esters(FAEE) and Glycerol.
• [REACTION]: Tri-Glyceride + Alcohol → Fatty Acid Ester +
Glycerol (Lubricant)
• Once the reaction is complete, the mixture is allowed to cool, and the
glycerol, which is heavier, settles at the bottom of the container. The upper
layer contains the desired fatty acid esters (bio-lubricants) along with any
unreacted alcohol and catalyst.
• The upper layer is separated from the glycerol layer and washed with water
to remove any remaining catalyst and impurities.
• After washing, the bio-lubricants are dried to remove any remaining water.
• The resulting bio-lubricants, which are primarily composed of fatty acid
esters, are then ready for further processing or direct use in lubricant
applications.
HYDROGENATION
• Unsaturated vegetable oils undergo hydrogenation process to increase their
stability and viscosity making them suitable for use as lubricants. This process
basically involves reacting the vegetable oil with Hydrogen Gas in the
presence of a catalyst.
• Suitable feedstock is selected, like Palm oil, Soyabean oil, which contain
unsaturated fatty acids.
• The oil is then introduced into a hydrogenation reactor along with the catalyst
(nickel, platinum, etc.)
• Hydrogen gas is then bubbled through the oil. The unsaturated double bonds
present in the oil react with Hydrogen molecules. (i.e. Hydrogenation)
• Hydrogenation reaction:
C18H34O2 + nH2 → C18H36O2
(Oleic (stearic
acid) acid)
Here, Oleic acid (unsaturated F.A.), reacts with molecules of
Hydrogen gas, to
produce Stearic Acid, which is the hydrogenated product of
Oleic Acid.
Fig.- Process flow diagram for bio-lubricant
production
CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS
• Some bio lubricants can be synthesized from renewable feedstocks,
such as glycerol, a by-product of bio diesel production, or other
bio-mass derived compounds.
• After the Trans-esterification process is successfully completed, the
mixture obtained contains bio-diesel along with other impurities.
• Drying or Distillation methods are employed to separate the
desired esters from the by-products and impurities, which leads to
lubricant production.
• For some specific lubricant applications, further esterification might
be needed to tailor the properties. (by reacting bio-diesel with
specific acids or alcohols for improved stability).
BIOLOGICAL FERMENTATION
• This method is the most fascinating method for Bio-diesel
production, also resulting in environment-friendly products.
• Along with the selection of suitable feedstock, micro-0rganisms
are also selected (bacteria, fungi, etc.), that have the ability to
produce oils & fats through fermentation.
• The selected micro-organisms are then cultured in a controlled
environment that includes a nutrient-rich medium like sugars
and other essential nutrients required for oil production and
microbial growth.
• This converts the feedstock components into fatty acid, i.e., the
building blocks of lubricants.
• Post completion of fermentation process, once sufficient
amount of oil has been produced, it needs to be harvested.
• This can be done through methods such as centrifugation,
filtration, or solvent extraction depending on the characteristics of
the microorganism and desired quality of the final product.
• Finally, the bio-lubricant may be formulated with additives to
enhance its performance characteristics like viscosity and
lubricity.
HARVESTING PROCESS
DONE THROUGH
“CENTRIFUGATION”
Out of all the above methods explained,
Transesterification is the most commonly
used method for producing lubricants , because:
• It can yield 90% as compared to other methods.
• It improves lubricant’s oxidative stability making it less
likely to risk from oxidation damage.
However,
Trans-esterification requires a high reaction temperature
leading to hikes in production costs and energy consumption.
THANK YOU
-END OF
PRESENTATION
