Biodegradable Lubricant Base With Hydrolysis-Resistant Ester Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lubricants used in industries such as wind farms and marine environments are not biodegradable, leading to environmental pollution, and existing biodegradable alternatives like alkyl isostearate have inconsistent quality and performance issues.
Innovation Solution
A process for preparing a biodegradable lubricating base using hydrogenated vegetable oils, selective esterification with organic acid anhydrides, and subsequent neutralization to achieve a lubricating base with specific acid number and hydrolysis resistance, suitable for high viscosity grades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lubricants are used to ensure adequate lubrication and protection of mechanical components, then lubrication performance is maintained, but environmental pollution and health hazards increase due to toxicity and persistence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of lubricants by replacing conventional petroleum-based hydrocarbons with biodegradable alternatives derived from renewable resources such as vegetable oils and animal fats. This parameter change maintains lubrication performance while eliminating toxicity and environmental persistence, directly resolving the contradiction between reliable lubrication and harmful environmental effects
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite lubricant formulations combining base oils from renewable resources with biodegradable additives and dispersants. These composite materials provide the necessary lubrication properties while ensuring complete biodegradation, thus maintaining reliability without causing environmental pollution
2Object-affected harmful factors
If biodegradable lubricants are developed to reduce environmental impact, then environmental safety is improved, but lubrication performance and protection capability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes physical and chemical parameters of biodegradable base oils including viscosity, pour point, and flash point through selection of specific feedstocks and processing methods. This ensures that environmental safety is maintained while lubrication performance parameters meet operational requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent develops composite lubricant systems where biodegradable base oils are combined with performance-enhancing additives. This composite approach ensures both environmental safety and adequate lubrication performance by compensating for any performance deficiencies of the biodegradable base through carefully selected additives
3Adaptability or versatility
If renewable resources are utilized as lubricant feedstock, then sustainability is improved, but production cost and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lubricant production process into distinct stages: feedstock selection, preprocessing (degumming, refining), chemical modification (transesterification or hydroprocessing), and final formulation. This segmentation allows optimization of each stage independently, managing complexity while maintaining sustainability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses intermediate processing steps such as esterification or hydroprocessing as mediators to convert renewable feedstocks into lubricant-compatible molecules. These intermediary processes bridge the gap between raw renewable materials and final lubricant products, making the transition economically and technically feasible
4Ease of operation
If conventional lubricants are disposed of through traditional methods, then disposal simplicity is maintained, but environmental contamination and ecosystem damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the previously harmful property of lubricant persistence into a beneficial property by using biodegradable lubricants that naturally decompose. The same disposal pathways that were problematic for conventional lubricants become environmentally beneficial for biodegradable lubricants, turning a harm into a benefit without requiring changes in disposal infrastructure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The lubricating base exhibits high biodegradability, environmental friendliness, improved interfacial properties, and resistance to hydrolysis, maintaining performance comparable to traditional lubricants while being easy to produce.
Implementation Method 1
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Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to the use of a fluid lubricant base comprising at least one biosourced and biodegradable compound having formula (I) in order to lubricate devices and/or machines, such as wind turbines, wherein said at least one compound having formula (I) corresponds to formula (I) in which R1, R2 and R3 are, independently, linear or branched saturated hydrocarbon groups comprising at least 16 carbon atoms, at least one group among R1, R2 and R3 comprises, on the hydrocarbon chain thereof, at least one ester group O-CO-R4, where R4 is a linear or branched alkyl radical comprising from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 6 carbon atoms. The lubricant base has an acid number, in mg KOH/g measured according to the standard ISO 6618, which ranges from 0 to 0.5. The present invention further relates to a method for manufacturing the lubricant base as defined above and to the lubricant base thus obtained.