BASE OILS
From oil to water based lubrication:
Exploring water-based lubricants as sustainable alternatives for a greener future
Mushfiq Hasan, Marcus Björling, and Roland Larsson, Machine Elements Division, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Over the past decades, sustainability and carbon neutrality have become key drivers for future research in many areas including the field of tribology. Lubrication is a vital part of rotating components that reduce friction and in turn, reduce energy consumption and CO2
Today’s state-of-the-art lubricants are mostly derived from petroleum and contain high-performance additives containing sulphur, zinc and ash. The current form of lubrication has been developed over the last few centuries and is capable enough to meet extreme conditions. However, new legislations and regulations are forcing Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and researchers to find alternatives to petroleum- based lubricants to reduce the dependency on fossil extraction and to reduce energy consumption. At this moment, there is no complete fossil-free fluid that can deliver similar mechanical performances as mineral oil-based products in demanding applications. Some biobased products (e.g., vegetable oil) can be a possible alternative to mineral-based lubricants but it may not be a viable solution in the long run as most of the nature derived oils are sources of dietary fat for us.
emission. But what about the lubricant itself? Can it harm the surrounding ecology and environment of its users?
In recent years, water-based or water-soluble lubricants (WBL) have come under the spotlight as an alternative solution to mineral-based lubricants. It has the potential to serve the demand for greener solutions in industries like marine, hydraulic, metal working and even in electric vehicle applications.
However, we have to keep in mind that the lubrication mechanism of WBLs is quite different from conventional fluids and therefore it is still unclear how we can translate the prior lubricant formulation knowledge for this type of innovative fluid. Moreover, finding the right environment-friendly additives is one of the biggest challenges for researchers to meet the required performance.
Definition Terms such as biolubricant or sustainable lubricants
Continued on page 10 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.179 FEBRUARY 2024 9
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