Production of Furan Based Renewable Lubricants
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION:The new processdeveloped at UD starts withnatural biomass-derived intermediates as raw materials and uses low-temperature reactionsand inexpensive catalysts. The processproduces lubricants where carbon numbers and molecular architectures of the product can be tailored to multipledifferent industries,producing products that are comparable to commercialhigh value lubricants currently on the market.STAGE OFDEVELOPMENT: Prototype development and testing are underway.APPLICATIONS: A new process has been developedto produce lubricants from renewable sources. Products can be tailored for use in the automotive, aviation, cosmetics and personal care industries.PROBLEMSADDRESSED:The annualglobal consumption of lubricants is estimated to be ~40 million tons. The environmental impact for this level of production from the traditional petroleum-based sources is significant. Thus, lubricants sourced from sustainable alternatives, including fatty acids and natural-oils, offer huge environmental benefits without large cost penalties. The method of this inventionproduces products with high yield and selectivity from lignocellulosic biomass intermediates, eliminating the need for complex and expensive product separation. This processalso addresses current industry-level challenges such as environmental carbon emissionsandour dependency on petroleum as a raw material for currentlubricants.
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USA

