Biodegradable lubricating greases for special work conditions

Lubricants facilitate the effective operation of mechanical equipment, reducing friction and wear, but at the same time, they represent a large and diffuse pollution source both in soil and in water. Eliminating or reducing the formation of pollutants and waste pollution prevention makes an important contribution to environmental protection. Biodegradable lubricants represent the technical and environmental alternative for conventional lubrication. Lubricating greases are considered as colloidal dispersions of a thickener in a lubricating fluid. Their biodegradable properties and their lubricating ability depend on the main components: base oil, thickener, and the additives. The aim of our work is to find the most suitable formulations of ecological lubricating greases having good performances, in order to use them as multifunctional lubricants.