6 High-performance hydraulic fluids from vegetable oils

Le résumé fourni par la source

Hydraulic fluids (HF) are the second largest lubricant group behind engine oils. Alkali refined rapeseed, canola and other vegetable oils can be used as their basestocks, but the performance is often inferior. Typically, oxidative stability, lowtemperature fluidity and ester linkage hydrolysis are the most problematic issues. Currently, high-performance HF for environmentally friendly applications are often based on petrochemical esters, composed of branched carboxylic acids and polyhydric alcohols. Specific viscosities are targeted (32 or 46 mm2/s at 40 °C) with pour points below -30 °C. To overcome the technical disadvantages of vegetable oils, they can be modified chemically into esters of highly improved performance. Two examples: (1) estolides, produced by fatty acid acylation of double bonds, have already acquired broad recognition; (2) dibasic esters produced by metathesis or castor oil alkaline cleavage are also successfully utilized in HF. More pathways are possible to convert vegetable oils into esters of much better stability and improved fluidity, which promise new applications for biobased resources and green chemistry.

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