The Meaning, Benefits and Disadvantages of Biodegradable Oils

As oil miners continue to extract petroleum from their reserves, the scarcity of these products increase. As a result, the prices of driving oils and lubricants rise. This economic issue will make final customers and manufacturers acquire cheaper alternatives. The alternatives will also aim at being readily available and sustainable. The solution to these issues is biodegradable oil.

What are biodegradable oils?

Biodegradable oils are lubricants whose molecule can biologically degrade through the action of biological organisms. They are a combination of chosen biodegradable bases which are non-toxic and have added value for the desired property. Such biodegradable bases include vegetable oils, sunflower and synthetic esters.

Factors for determining biodegradability

These lubricants need to have the ISO 9439 or OECD 301B standards. These standards test their aerobic biodegradability in an aqueous medium. The test uses a lubricant sample, filled with microorganisms in oxygen and measures the carbon dioxide emitted by the microbes. Petroleum-based lubricants do not meet these standards and, therefore, they are counted as inherently biodegradable.

The second factor is the issue of low toxicity. Individuals that perform these tests use fish, daphnia and microorganisms. Raw biodegradable lubricants have low or zero toxicity properties. As you add additives, the level of toxicity increases.

Their Advantages

They have good lubricity than other mineral oils. In some cases, users add friction material to reduce the level of slippage. These oils have a high viscosity index (VI) and high flash point. As mentioned earlier, they have low toxicity and, they are renewable. Biodegradable lubricants also have a low pollution risk.

Their Disadvantages

Biodegradable lubricants naturally lack enough oxidative stability for lubricant use. Low oxidative stability causes the oil to oxidize quickly during use if not treated. As a result, the oil becomes thick and polymerizes to a plastic-like consistency.