Abstract

Study and analysis of biodegradability and degradation rate of mineral lubricating oil

Author(s): Sheng Xu

Mineral oil is one extracted from mineral that cannot be degraded by general microorganism which means it has poor biodegradability. Some of mineral oils are poisonous, so they may bring harms into environment. Given that shortcomings of mineral oil, now several well-known lubricating oil manufacturers are studying how to make use of vegetable oil and compound ester to produce lubricating oil. However, owning to cheapness and good anti-friction of mineral lubricating oil, they are still sold in market. So it is a big issue in the study of raw material of lubricating oil that how to improve biodegradability of mineral oil. This study focuses on a biodegradation accelerant made from long-chain fatty acid and amino acid which can improve the degradability of mineral oil and proves effective and stable property through experiments. Through the copper corrosion test and rust-proof property test, the non-corrodibility and rust-proof property of this accelerant are tested. The mineral oil HVI 350 is used in this study and in which mixing a certain amount of glycine can compare the changes of property of mineral lubricating oil before and after the mixing. And conclusion is that: biodegradation accelerant developed by the study can effectively accelerate the degradation of mineral lubricating oil.