Dow Chemical conducts research on seed-oil derived lubricants

VerticalNews, an online news source, recently featured a report from Dow Chemical regarding seed oil-derived lubricants; the report defines and quantifies the structural attributes of such lubricants. According to the report, researchers noted that “There is a significant amount of interest and research in seed-oil-derived lubricants because of elevated environmental consciousness among producers and consumers.” However, even as seed-oil derivatives have slowly been making inroads into various applications, its performance deficits at low temperature, as well as its poor thermooxidative stability have relegated seed-oil derivatives to “roles where biodegradability is paramount or where the performance requirements are relatively low.” In the study, the researchers segregated, functionalized and polymerized the seed oil triglyceride components to come up with a lubricant design which allows flexibility in defining the specified viscosity, at the same time providing an improved low-temperature performance. (August 3, 2012)