Industrial Oil Products Program
IOP 2: Development of New Industrial Oils from Oilseed Crops
Monday Afternoon
Chair(s): S. Cermak, USDA, ARS, NCAUR, USA; and R. Evangelista, USDA, ARS, NCAUR, USA.
Development of Bio-Based Greases and Functionality.,
D. Johnson1, B. Rhodes2, 1Montana State University, USA, 2Rhodes Consulting, USA.
Greases remain an issue for total loss lubrication needs. Currently, even biobased greases available or in research have metallic soaps to provide lubricity and structural integrity. To meet the needs of environmental safety, a new grease structure was required. The current grease in development by the authors meets essential criteria ASTM D217, ASTM 2266 and ASTM D2509. An extreme pressure formulation using ASTM D2596 has been tested.The greases under test are unique in that they utilize vegetable oils, waxes and fiber to provide the structural integrity required to function in total loss grease applications. The greases when used in loss applications can dry and flake exposing fresh lubricating surfaces at friction points. Production costs for such greases are nominal and are competitive with petroleum-based greases currently in the marketplace.
Screening Vernonia galamensis Germplasm for Oil, Vernolic Acid, and Lipase Activity.,
A. Mohamed, T. Mebrahtu, T. Andebrahn, Virginia State University, USA.
Vernonia galamenesis is an annual herb and native of Africa. Under optimum conditions, Vernonia seeds contain up to 40% epoxy oil and this oil has up to 80% vernolic acid (CIS- 12,13- epoxyoleic acid). Attention has been focused on the domestication and commercialization of Vernonia galamensis as a new industrial oilseed crop for the production of epoxidized oil. At Virginia State University, 63 accessions of vernonia were analyzed for oil, Vernolic acid (VA) and lipase activities (LA). Significant differences for seed yield, oil content and VA were observed among the evaluated accessions. The variation in yield was also reflected in seed size and the mean size was 3.5 grams/100 seeds. The mean of the total oil was 18% and ranged from 14 to 31% where the majority of the accessions fall within the overall mean. The VA mean of the accessions was 55% and ranged from 38 to 77% and 49% of the accessions had Vernolic acid content which exceeded the mean. Vernonia galamensis var. australis had the highest VA. Vernonia sp. From Zambia and V. noveboracensis had the lowest. Vernonia galamensis var. ethiopica produced in Virginia had significantly higher VA than other tested species. Vernonia germplasm were also evaluated for lipase activities. Wide variations in lipase activity were found among tested germplasm. Mean lipase activity was 377.6 μg released C18:0/g meal and ranged from 151 for V. cinerscens to 1010 for V. perrottetii. In general, germplasm from Zambia characterized by higher lipase activity than those from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, and other unknown places. Variation in free fatty acid in the seeds among species was also found. The mean free fatty acid was 16 mg/100g seed and ranged from 16 for V. philipsoniana to 37.3 for V. cinerea. No correlation was found between lipase activity and free fatty acid contents within the seeds. Zambian germplasm had the lowest free fatty acid content and USA/VA had the highest.
Biomass-Derived Oils for Turbo-Generators.,
K. Bickel1, M. Norris2, 1Univerity of Minnesota-Center for Diesel Research, USA, 2Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, USA.
The use of biomass for power generation is expected to increase due to renewable portfolio standards and other initiatives being encouraged by the federal government and adopted by many states. The majority of biomass power operations burn plant material directly in a boiler to generate steam, which drives a traditional steam turbine. Biodiesel is a fuel for reciprocating compression ignition engines that is made from vegetable oils or waste fats and oils that has been esterfied. It can be burned in diesel generators and turbines, but its use for electric power generation has been limited thus far because of its cost. Non-esterfied vegetable oils may be viable fuels for turbines that generate electricity (turbo-generators). Non-esterified oils are less expensive than biodiesel because less processing is required. Turbines that are used for generating electricity vary greatly in size. Microturbines produce between 25 and 500 kW in power. They are used in office buildings, restaurants, landfills, and other facilities. Aeroderivative gas turbines, aircraft engines modified to drive gas turbines, have capacities up to 40 MW. Industrial gas turbines range in size of up to 200 MW. Aero-derivative and industrial turbines have been used by the power industry for many years, and are frequently used during peak periods, or when electrical needs cannot be purchased from other sources.Turbines typically use natural gas, but they can burn a wide range of liquid fuels, ranging from "light" #1 diesel to "heavy" #6 diesel. Biomass-derived oils, including raw vegetable oils and biodiesel, are potential candidate fuels for use in turbo-generators.Existing data on the properties of biodiesel and vegetable oils were reviewed, and compared to ASTM and turbine manufactuers specifications for turbine fuels. Selected oils were analyzed forr specific fuel properties. This paper gives the results of those studies, and presents preliminary results of oil spray studies where selected oils, biodiesel, and #2 diesel fuel were atomized using a turbine liquid-injector nozzle.
Synthesis of Lubricants from Plant and Animal Sources.,
S. Cermak, T. Isbell, USDA, ARS, NCAUR, USA.
Consumers today are demanding more from their automobile lubricants then ever before. The use of renewable lubricants can meet these demands and at the same time lessen the demand for foreign oil. These new functional fluids, estolides, have shown great promise as a biodegradable lubricant. Estolides and their co-products compared favorably to commercially available industrial products such as petroleum-based hydraulic fluids, soy-based fluids, and petroleum oils, and usually outperforms the competition. Estolides are formed when the carboxylic acid functionality of one fatty acid links to the site of unsaturation of another fatty acid to form esters. A new series of estolides were derived from oleic acid and a cheap animal source of unsaturated fatty acids, tallow, in the presence of low equivalents of acid with no solvent at 60°C followed by esterification to the 2-ethylhexyl ester. These new estolides were evaluated as a lubricant. Physical properties (pour points, cloud points and viscosities) of the new estolide esters were compared to the homo-estolides and commercial lubricants. These new estolides show promise as a cheap alternative bio-based material.
Industrial Oils from Chinese Tallow.,
S. Awbrey1, E. Hernandez2, 1Lubchem, USA, 2Texas A&M University, USA.
Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) was introduced into the southeastern US in the 1700s mainly as an ornamental tree. It originated China where it has been cultivated for about 1,500 years as a seed-oil crop. Currently it grows wild in the southern coastal plains from South Carolina, Florida and Texas. It is now considered an invasive species in some states. Chinese tallow has long been recognized for its beneficial economic potential because its demonstrated adaptability and large oil yield. However, difficulties in developing effective harvesting methods has impeded the development of Chinese tallow as large potential oil and protein resource.This work includes an evaluation of the composition of the seed and manufacture of several lubricant products. The pea-size seed is composed of an outer layer of wax; inner shell and oil from the kernel. The wax was extracted by hexane extraction of the outer layer and the oil separated by pressing of dewaxed seeds. The fatty acid composition and some physical properties (viscosity, refractive index, smoke point, OSI) of the oil were analyzed. Industrial grade lubricants were generated from the oil by partial polymerization using catalytic oxidation with magnesium naphtenatate. Lubricants were evaluated for viscosity (up to 20,000 centistokes), tackiness and plasticity.
Moringa Oil-A "New" Stable Cosmetic Emollient.,
R. Kleiman, J.H. Brown, Floratech, USA.
The fatty acid composition of moringa oil, derived from the seed of the Moringa oleifera tree, has less than one percent polyunsaturation. The oxidative stability of moringa oil is measured with the Oxidative Stability Instrument (OSI) following addition of antioxidants. Moringa oil is shown to have the highest oxidative stability of any commercially available oil of vegetable origin.Moringa is native to the Indian subcontinent and is cultivated in most semitropical areas around the world. Use of the plant by humans has been recorded as early as ancient Egyptian times. This fast growing tree is typically found in home gardens and is cultivated mostly for its pods which are consumed as a vegetable while immature. Allowed to ripen, the mature pods are collected and moringa oil extracted from the seed. Refined moringa oil has been developed for use as a cosmetic emollient. Its slip and spread characteristics, organoleptic qualities, oxidative stability, viscosity and index of refraction render it an excellent cosmetic emollient. Derivatives of the oil have been produced to achieve different functional properties for use in cosmetics.