STORY LEAD: Biodegradable Lubricants Developed from Alternative Crops ___________________________________________
ARS News Service Agricultural Research Service, USDA Sharon Durham, (301) 504-1611, [EMAIL PROTECTED] March 26, 2002 ___________________________________________ Weather patterns, consumer demand and geography all make agricultural business unpredictable. These factors can lead to market gluts, frequently in the wheat and corn sectors. Agricultural Research Service scientists have found a potentially profitable new use for high-oleic oilseed crops, pulling these alternative crops into production. ARS chemists Terry A. Isbell and Steven C. Cermak made environmentally friendly, effective lubricants containing estolides, which are fatty acids from high-oleic oilseeds, such as high-oleic sunflower and high-oleic safflower. Isbell and Cermak, who are at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Ill., recently received two U.S. patents on the technology. The new vegetable-based biodegradable hydraulic fluid is for use in heavy equipment or as crankcase fluid. Industrial-sized production of starting material--the basis for making biodegradable lubricants from sunflower oil fatty acids--was accomplished at a pilot plant at NCAUR. These lubricants compare favorably to soybean and canola oil, which have also been used to produce biodegradable lubricants. Tests show that estolide-based lubricants pour well in cold temperatures, don't break down or degrade, and retain their ability to lubricate. The estolide-based lubricants outperform soybean and canola-based products in all of these characteristics, according to Isbell. However, soybean oil costs only about 13 cents per pound, while oleic acid is 75 cents per pound. But the estolide-based lubricants require fewer additives than traditional vegetable oil lubricants, which makes their final market cost essentially the same. Their superior properties make estolides good candidates for many lubricant applications, particularly where enhanced performance and biodegradability are required, according to Isbell. This research was done under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Lambent Technologies of Chicago. The company was acquired in 1998 by Petroferm of Fernandina Beach, Fla. ARS is the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ___________________________________________ This item is one of the news releases and story leads that ARS Information distributes on weekdays to fax and e-mail subscribers. You can also get the latest ARS news on the World Wide Web at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. * Feedback and questions to ARS News Service via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * ARS Information Staff, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., Room 1-2251, Beltsville MD 20705-5128, (301) 504-1617, fax 504-1648. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Stock for $4. No Minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/BgmYkB/VovDAA/ySSFAA/9bTolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel at WebConX http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
