Lubricating effectiveness of secondary metabolites from microalgae in different material systems

摘要

Microalgae, as a renewable raw material, are gaining wider technical use, due to their rapid growth and high lipid content. Thanks to their ability to produce secondary metabolites that are chemically related to vegetable oils, they can provide an alternative source of organic components of operational liquids. The study investigated the properties of the lubricating oil obtained from algae and compared them with the properties of selected commercial lubricating oils: vegetable, mineral, and synthetic. Antiwear properties were evaluated based on the value of the limiting load of wear (G_(oz)), and antiseizure properties are based on the value of scuffing load (P_t). The studies were conducted with the use of a four-ball machine. Its test elements were 100Cr6 steel balls and the same balls with low-friction coating (WC/C). Friction tests were carried out in the following material combinations: steel-steel, steel-WC/C, WC/C-steel, and WC/C-WC/C. It was found that in the WC/C-WC/C and WC/C-steel material systems, the algae oil has better antiwear and antiseizure properties than the mineral and vegetable oil. It is therefore appropriate to consider the algae oil as a substitute for commercial oils, particularly the vegetable one for technical applications, e.g. when composing organic lubricating materials intended for the lubrication of friction systems with WC/C coatings.