Tribological investigation of blended vegetable oil (soybean & cottonseed) as alternative raw material to produce Bio-grease with sugarcane filter cake wax additive

Authors

• Hailemariam Nigus Hailu FDRE Technical and Vocational Training Institute https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6644-645X
• Pedro Dionisio Remedios Department of Automotive Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Technology, FDRE Technical and Vocational Training Institute (TVTI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Nebiyu Daniel Department of Automotive Technology, Tegbareed Polytechnic College , Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Venkata Ramayya Ancha Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Jimma Institute of Technology, Jimma, Ethiopia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30678/fjt.156573

Keywords:

Bio-grease, soybean, cottonseed, sugarcane filter cake wax, tribology

Abstract

In this study, an experimental bio-grease formulation composed of soybean and cottonseed oils (SBO &CSO) as base oil, lithium hydroxide thickener, and sugar cane filter cake wax (SCW) as an additive was presented. Properties such as viscosity, penetration, drop point, wear, and coefficient of friction (COF) for the formulated samples of bio-grease, were evaluated using standard methods, and the results were compared to the mineral grease. A mixture composition involving the lowest levels of relevant fatty acids in the base oils showed a good structure in the development of film formation and lubrication resulting in less wear and Friction Coefficient. The results showed that bio-grease samples with a high percentage of thickener (up to 3%) and additive at the lowest (3%) have desirable tribological characteristics that are comparable to other bio-grease samples from previous studies. Generally, all of the results indicate that a blend of vegetable oils as a base oil can be used to formulate bio-grease, and using a traditional bio-based additive can enhance the performance of that formulated grease.