Biolubricants: Aspects and Prospects

Abstract

A lubricant, basically performs the roll of anti-friction media, is necessary for smooth operations, to maintain reliable machine function and to prevent frequent failures and is an integral part in automotive and machinery industries. The conventional oil-based lubricants in most cases causes serious environmental threats. Bio-based lubricants have received significant interest in recent years as they have the ability to overcome the above problems. Such eco-friendly lubricants are now moving into a substantial competitive and mainstream position due to rising oil prices, increase in environmental awareness and global climate changes. In this regard, the goal of the present paper is to highlight the potential of biolubricants for a wide range of applications based upon the published researches over the past few years. This paper also aims to arise the interest to policy-makers about the prospects of using biolubricants as a potential alternative lubricant in automobiles and industry.