Soy lubricants are good for making aluminum cans

摘要

Soy is a common substitute for milk and meat,but what about using it as a metalworking fluid? After five years of R&D,aluminum giant Alcoa (Pittsburgh,PA;www.alcoa.com) is testing soybean-based oil as a renewable-fuel alternative to the petroleum-based fluid used in its aluminum processes.In aluminum-rolling mills,for example,a soybean-oil lubricant prevents the metal from melting onto the heavy steel rolls used to flatten it.