
Biodegradable
Lubricants Developed from Alternative CropsBy Sharon Durham March 26, 2002Weather patterns, consumer demand and
geography all make agricultural business unpredictable. These factors can lead
to market gluts, frequently in the wheat and corn sectors.
Agricultural Research Service scientists
have found a potentially profitable new use for high-oleic oilseed crops,
pulling these alternative crops into production. ARS chemists Terry A. Isbell and Steven C. Cermak made environmentally
friendly, effective lubricants containing estolides, which are fatty acids from
high-oleic oilseeds, such as high-oleic sunflower and high-oleic safflower.
Isbell and Cermak, who are at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization
Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Ill.,
recently received two U.S. patents on the technology. The new vegetable-based biodegradable hydraulic fluid is for use in heavy
equipment or as crankcase fluid. Industrial-sized production of starting
material--the basis for making biodegradable lubricants from sunflower oil
fatty acids--was accomplished at a pilot plant at NCAUR. These lubricants compare favorably to soybean and canola oil, which have
also been used to produce biodegradable lubricants. Tests show that
estolide-based lubricants pour well in cold temperatures, dont break down
or degrade, and retain their ability to lubricate. The estolide-based
lubricants outperform soybean and canola-based products in all of these
characteristics, according to Isbell. However, soybean oil costs only about 13 cents per pound, while oleic acid
is 75 cents per pound. But the estolide-based lubricants require fewer
additives than traditional vegetable oil lubricants, which makes their final
market cost essentially the same. Their superior properties make estolides good candidates for many lubricant
applications, particularly where enhanced performance and biodegradability are
required, according to Isbell. This research was done under a Cooperative Research and Development
Agreement (CRADA) with Lambent Technologies of Chicago. The company was
acquired in 1998 by Petroferm of Fernandina Beach, Fla. ARS is the chief scientific research agency of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Story contacts Sharon A Durham U.S. Department of Agriculture |