Lubricants & Greases
Material selection for lubricants & greases
Lubricant and grease manufacturers use oleochemicals in three ways: as soap thickeners for greases, as base fluids or co-base fluids, and as additives that improve lubricity, friction behaviour or biodegradability. Materials in this sector are chosen for how they react in the grease kettle, or for how they perform at low temperature and under oxidation in the finished lubricant.
What the process needs. Most soap-thickened greases are made by saponifying a fatty acid or fat with a metal hydroxide in the base oil. Lithium 12-hydroxystearate, made from 12-hydroxystearic acid or directly from hydrogenated castor oil, is the most widely used thickener. Complex greases add a short-chain dicarboxylic acid such as azelaic or sebacic acid to raise the dropping point. Calcium and aluminium soaps based on stearic acid or similar saturated fatty acids are also used. Castor oil contributes lubricity and polarity, oleic acid acts as a friction modifier and corrosion inhibitor in metalworking fluids, and synthetic esters such as dioctyl sebacate provide low-temperature fluidity and a high viscosity index.
Key specification parameters. Hydrogenated castor oil is judged by hydroxyl value, iodine value, which shows how completely it has been hydrogenated, acid value and melting point. Castor oil is judged by ricinoleic acid content, hydroxyl value, acid value, moisture and colour. For stearic acid and other fatty acids used in soap thickeners, acid value, iodine value, titre and moisture determine how much hydroxide is needed and how the soap fibres form. Esters are assessed on acid value, viscosity, pour point, flash point and water content.
Recommended product types. Hydrogenated castor oil and castor oil. Stearic acid. Oleic acid. Dioctyl sebacate. Palm fatty acid distillate as a lower-cost fatty acid source where colour and odour permit. Palm methyl ester for bio-based fluid and solvent formulations.
Documentation. Ask for lot-specific analysis, the safety data sheet and any evidence you need for biodegradable or bio-based lubricant claims. Those claims depend on the finished formulation as well as on the raw materials, so test the finished product. Ask for the certificate scope with your quotation where sustainability or origin certificates are required.
Handling and shipping. Hydrogenated castor oil is supplied as flakes or powder in bags and should be kept dry. Castor oil, oleic acid and esters are shipped in drums, IBCs, flexitanks or ISO tanks. Fatty acids can solidify in cold weather and may need gentle heating before unloading. Avoid prolonged storage at high temperature, which darkens fatty materials and accelerates oxidation and hydrolysis.
Qualifying a new source. Grease properties such as yield, dropping point and mechanical stability respond to small changes in fatty acid composition and moisture. Make a pilot batch with each new lot or source and compare it with your reference grease before changing production.
Products for Lubricants & Greases
Castor Oil
Castor oil is the feedstock for an entire branch of oleochemistry, because ricinoleic acid carries a hydroxyl group that ordinary fatty acids lack. That group is the entry point to sebacic acid, undecylenic acid, polyols and 12-hydroxystearic acid.
Hydrogenated Castor Oil (Castor Wax)
Hydrogenated castor oil, supplied as flake or micronised powder, is the direct precursor to 12-hydroxystearic acid, the thickener in most lithium greases. Splitting the wax releases the hydroxy acid that gives grease its structure.
PFAD (Palm Fatty Acid Distillate)
PFAD is the condensate recovered from the deodoriser during palm oil refining. Typically 85 to 95 percent free fatty acids, it is a low-cost mixed feedstock for soap, fatty acid recovery, animal feed and biodiesel esterification.
Palm Methyl Ester
Palm methyl ester is produced by transesterifying palm oil or palm fatty acids with methanol. It is supplied for industrial use as a bio-based solvent, lubricant base and sulphonation feedstock, rather than as retail automotive fuel.
Palm Stearic Acid
Palm stearic acid is not pure stearic acid but a graded blend of palmitic and stearic chains, sold by titre. Common grades are 40:60, 50:50 and triple-pressed, and the titre determines hardness, melting point and downstream behaviour.
Oleic Acid
Oleic acid (CAS 112-80-1) is the eighteen-carbon monounsaturated fatty acid, liquid at room temperature because of the single cis double bond that kinks its chain. Commercial grades are traded by iodine value, titre and colour.
Dioctyl Sebacate (DOS)
A diester of sebacic acid (CAS 122-62-3), the ten-carbon diacid obtained from castor oil. A castor-derived ester used as a synthetic lubricant base stock as well as a low-temperature plasticiser.
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Start with the process and specification
- End use and required material or feedstock
- Critical analytical limits and physical form
- Handling temperature, storage and pack format
- Volume, documentation needs and delivery destination
Confirm the evidence before ordering
Grade, origin and certification are confirmed for each proposed source. A vegetable-derived feedstock is not automatically certified sustainable, pharmaceutical grade or suitable for every application; request the evidence needed for your intended use.
Product illustrations show representative material and packaging. The quotation confirms the actual source, grade, pack size and labelling.
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