Evaluating palm oil ester base oils as eco-friendly alternatives in lubricant formulations

• Published in: JURNAL TRIBOLOGI
• Main Authors: Mustaffha, Samihah; El Pebrian, Darius; Mustafa, Mohd Muhyiddin; Umehara, Noritsugu; Roseley, Nik Roselina Nik; Ahmad, Mohamad Ali; Masripan, Nor Azmmi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MALAYSIAN TRIBOLOGY SOC-MYTRIBOS 2024
• Subjects: Engineering
• Online Access: https://www-webofscience-com.uitm.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001406534700012

Palm oil-based ester is a potential replacement of the conventional petroleum-based base oil for eco-friendly alternative with promising characteristics. This study aims to examine the impact of palm oil ester base oils characteristics and their behaviour on friction and wear. The formulation of lubricant was made by combining mineral base oil (MO) with two type of palm oil-based which are trimethylolpropane ester (TMPE) and polyol ester (PE) in a range of 0%wt to 100wt%. The tribological performance of the mixture base oils is discussed based on the engineering standard using four-ball tribometer according to ASTM D4172. The wear scar diameter was measured using digital microscope. The kinematic viscosity, density, acid number and pour point of each sample were also recorded. The result showed that PE has the lowest pour point, lower than-37 degrees C. However, the mix of 80%wt MO and 20%wt PE exhibit lowest coefficient of friction among others. As evidenced by the data, the combination of palm oil ester base oil with petroleum base oil can contribute to a better tribological performance. The outcome demonstrates that the incorporation of palm oil ester base oil and petroleum base oil significantly enhances tribological performance.