Uso do óleo de mamona (Ricinus communis) na obtenção de lubrificantes biodegradáveis.

Abstract

Biolubricants are all lubricants that are quickly biodegradable and non-toxic to humans and the environment, highlighting the principles of green chemistry in their synthesis. Synthesizing biodegradable lubricants from renewable resources through epoxidation is a sustainable alternative to conventional chemistry, which is based on the use of fossil inputs, generates toxic waste and causes adverse environmental impacts. The applications of castor oil are countless. The most important use and which consumes the largest quantity is the manufacture of paints, varnishes, cosmetics and soaps. It is also widely used in the production of plastics and synthetic fibers. This project consisted of the production of biolubricants from castor oil using transesterification of the oil, followed by methyl and ethyl epoxidation of its esters. The materials involved in the process were characterized through their chemical and physicochemical properties. Transesterification, which transforms oil into biodiesel, provided a yield of 94% for methyl biodiesel and 92.7% for ethyl biodiesel. Epoxidation, a reaction that transforms biodiesel into a biolubricant, provided a yield of 91.3% for the methyl biolubricant and 87.6% for the ethyl biolubricant.