The use of Biolubricants manufactured from Renewable Resources

• 
• 14th June 2006
• Materials Handling
 

Recently launched the project was demonstrated at the Eden Centre and illustrates the use of Biolubricants manufactured from harvestable renewable resources in equipment in use at the Eden Project. To highlight the environmental and sustainable development benefits.

Project partners include the Eden Centre, Fuchs Lubricants, Highway Plant Ltd, McAlpine Ltd and the National Food Crop Centre (NNFCC)

Background:

The Eden Project has quickly become one of the most visited paid for attractions in the UK, attracting over 1.5 million visitors a year.  The exhibits on site engage the visitors in considering the relationship between plants and people.

The Eden Project has constructed a new Education Resource Centre, a building that is an exemplar of sustainable construction.  The Eden Project in conjunction with Fuchs Lubricants and McAlpines identified the opportunity to demonstrate the use of plant based hydraulic fluids in machines used during the construction phase.  The use of these lubricants was already successfully used in vehicles used on site, and the new construction project enabled demonstration of their use to the public during the building stages.

The principle sources of these lubricants are renewable and harvestable materials such as seed crops i.e. oil seed rape, and their derivatives. This renewable source for manufacture of lubricants contrasts sharply with the more conventional lubricants which would have been based on mineral oils. 

Lubricants from Renewables:

It’s been possible to use materials from renewable resources for production of lubricants from earliest times, but for the last 100 years, mineral oil based lubricants have predominated. However mineral oil has poor biodegradability, greater persistence in the environment and more pronounced toxicity; and the search for greener fluids for the more environmentally demanding applications started over 25 years ago.
A return to use of vegetable oils was an obvious start, but for higher performance, and certainly for the majority of applications, the use of synthetic esters derived from harvestable resources have proved highly successful in recent years. Product formulations have therefore been developed, trialled and put into service for almost all lubricant applications, and indeed, some of the performance pluses give pronounced advantages; such materials are even used for racing and competition activities.

Fig. 1 - Advantages of Vegetable Oils.

ADVANTAGES
• High load carrying abilities - excellent anti-wear character
• Excellent Coefficient of Friction - energy saving
• Low toxicity - high level of safety
• Naturally multigrade
• Good solvent powers for additives
• Low evaporation rates - low emission
• Feedstock for high performance synthetic esters
• Rapid biodegradability - environmentally favoured
• A renewable, harvestable resource

In particular, their load carrying ability and extremely low coefficient of friction have ensured special consideration in formulations; they have low evaporation rate ideal in some applications; they are naturally "Multigrade" and therefore offer benefits where there are significant variations of ambient temperature.
For these reasons, selected oils, with appropriate additive treatment, have enjoyed niche usage recognising these performance benefits, even in face of lower cost and more thermally stable mineral oil derived products.  For instance, as long as 40 years ago London Bus and other vehicle operators used Castor Oil based fluids in rear axles gaining significant advantage in fuel consumption due to the excellently low coefficient of friction. 
After further refining and modification, downstream esters from vegetable oils have even greater advantages and such materials are preferred for highly stressed and high temperature applications.
Indeed many are used simply for their advanced performance characteristics - their use for formulation of speciality racing and competition lubricants is one prime and well-respected area.

A more recent driver for introduction of biolubricants however, has been the sharp cost increase for mineral oils. It is clearly important for UK plc to look to use of indigenous renewable resources in view of the growing trade imbalances, and the severe predictions for the future. 

The rapidly rising cost of mineral oil based lubricants is currently causing great concern in the market, with obvious positive implications for harvestable resources. One of the important advantages for crop based lubricants, is the much lower coefficient of friction, which can lead to reduction of energy for almost any equipment which uses biolubricants; energy savings in operation is an attractive benefit.

Demonstration Vehicles and equipment:

A number of vehicles and equipment were selected to use the plant based lubricants, principally demonstrating use in hydraulics systems, but in some cases using also engine, transmission, and bearing greases. The vehicles include a number owned by Highway Plant Ltd, and operated by McAlpine, a Merlo Telehandler, IHI Excavator and Barford Dump Truck, as well as Club Cars and Road Trains operated by Eden Project. 

Oil Condition Monitoring:  EXCELLENT OIL CONDITION, DESPITE DUSTY ENVIRONMENT

The major aim of the project was to show in particular the use of hydraulic fluid derived from renewable resources, and to track oil and equipment condition over an extended period of time in stressed applications within the very dusty and demanding atmosphere of the Eden Project construction site.

Samples of oil were taken at regular intervals and submitted for laboratory analysis.

Note that none of the test hydraulic fluids have been changed during the almost two years of the trial, and no mechanical problems have been reported.

Tests tracked changes in the viscosity, checked for cross contamination from dust, dirt, water, etc., and carried out particle analysis. In particular, and as a monitor for any wear occurring within the equipment, it carried out analysis of all major metals picked up by the oil, including common wear or corrosion components from ferrous, copper based alloys, aluminium, steels, etc.

Results show excellent stability, with viscosity and oil condition maintained from the start of the trial in Spring 2004 to January 2006, full analysis results are attached.

Comparison with Mineral Oil:  HIGH PROTECTION - EXTREMELY LOW WEAR RATES

Results show the crop-based fluids to give a high level of protection, with extremely low wear metals detected in the oil, despite the equipment operating in dusty and dirty quarry/ china clay environment.

Compared to similar equipment operating with mineral oil, the levels of wear metals such as Iron, Chromium, Copper, Aluminium were a factor of typically 10 times lower.

This suggests that equipment life may be considerably extended by use of biofluids from renewable resources, over use of mineral oils.

Fig 2: Comparison: Wear metal, ppm, increase within the oil over the life of the trial, showing considerably higher wear during typical use of mineral oil, and extremely low wear rates with crop-based oil
 

CONCLUSIONS:

Plant based lubricants have been trialled in the very dusty and demanding conditions during new construction at the Eden Project. The trials have been extended to almost 2 years.

Results show these fluids to give excellent and dependable performance and there were no mechanical problems reported.

Oil condition in the hydraulic systems continues quite satisfactorily and without need for change.

In particular the main test equipment showed extremely low metal wear rates, a factor particularly commented on by the test laboratory.

Wear rates using the crop based lubricants were at a factor of typically one tenth of those using standard quality mineral hydraulic fluid.

This excellent performance will continue to be monitored.

Further information:   

Rosemary Mellor,
Fuchs Lubricants,
New Century St,
Stoke on Trent,
Staffs
ST1 5HU.

Tel: 08701 200400 
Fax:  01782 203775
Email: rosemary.mellor@fuchs-oil.com
Web:  http://www.fuchslubricants.com/

 

 

 

Associated Links

• Hub-4 Profile of Fuchs Lubricants (UK) plc
• Fuchs Lubricants (UK) plc Company Website