DIRE DAWA UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL AND BIO ENGINEERING

PRODUCTION OF BIOLUBRICANT FROM CASTOR BEAN

PREPARED BY ID No

1.TOLOSA REGASA ………………………….1001394

2.DERARA TURI……………………………….1001305
3.RAMETA ABDU….............................................100146
4.BENEYAM ASFAW………………….….……1004398
5.ABDISA DHANGIYA…..................................1001691
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Executive summary
Lubricants perform as anti-friction media, facilitate smooth operations, maintain
Reliable machine functions, and reduce the risks of frequent failures. Developing countries like
Ethiopia see Bio lubricant as a way to stimulate rural development, create jobs, and save foreign
exchange. The objective of this study is production of bio lubricant from castor bean oil in order
to utilize renewable resource and to solve environmental issues related to petroleum lubricants.
In this research, bio-lubricant will be produced from castor oil in two stage processes where
methyl ester of the oil is produced by esterification and then transesterified using homogenous
catalyst (NaOH). Next it will be blended with Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) to produce bio-
lubricant. The variables affecting the acid value and the methyl ester yield, such as molar ratio,
catalyst concentration, reaction time and reaction temperature will be analyzed. At the end, we
expect biolubricant products from castor bean having a degree of similar purpose to petroleum
lubricants while increasing cost efficiency and reducing environmental pollution.

Keywords፡–Castor bean, bio lubricant, Transesterification, Sodium laury sulphate,

Esterification.

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Contents

Executive summary I
List of Table III
List of Figure IV
1. INTRODUCTION 1
1.1. Background 1
1.2. Statement of the problem 2
1.3. Proposed solution 2
1.4.Research question 2
1.5. Objective 2
1.5.1. General objective 2
1.5.2. Specific objective 3
1.6. Scope of the Project 3
2. LITERATURE REVIEW 4
2.1. Bio lubricants 4
2.2. Historical development of lubricants 4
2.3. Overview of Lubricant in Ethiopia 5
2.4. Castor bean plant 5
2.5.Castor oil 5
2.6. Castor bean oil extraction method 6
3. MATERIAL AND METHOD 8
3.1. Apparatus and Equipment 8
3.2 Chemicals and material 8
3.3 process description 8
3.4 Analysis method and expected result 9
3.4.1 Analysis method 9
3.4.2 Expected result 10
4.WORK PLAN 11
5.BUDGET BREAK DOWN 13
Reference 14

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List of Table
TABLE 1: LIST OF EQUIPMENT AND THEIR FUNCTION..................................................................................................................................... 8
TABLE 2: EXPECTED PHYSIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF CASTOR OIL........................................................................................................10
TABLE 3: TIME SCEDULE FOR ACTIVITIES................................................................................................................................................................. 11
TABLE 4: COST BREAK DOWN.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

III
List of Figure
FIGURE 1:PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM FOR BIO LUBRICANT PRODUCTION................................................................................................ 7

IV
1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background
Formulations made from vegetable based oils together with corresponding additives are usually
coined “bio lubricants” which has final composition of 60-99% of base oil and the remaining as
additive, depending on the desired performance. Recently, increasing attention to environmental
issues has driven the lubricant industry toward eco-friendly products from renewable sources.
The use of biodegradable and environmentally accepted lubricants from vegetable oil has
increased over the past 25 years. However, million of tons of lubricants are dumped into the
environment through leakage and careless disposal. Some of these wastes are resistant to
biodegradation and are threats to the environment. Thus, there are two major issues confronting
the lubricant industries: the search for raw materials that are renewable and products that are
biodegradable. A substance is called biodegradable when it presents the proved capacity of being
decomposed within 1 year, through natural biological processes in carbonaceous land, water and
carbon dioxide.[ CITATION Whi05 \l 1033 ]

Bio lubricant is a renewable substitute for petroleum based lubricant which is made from
nontoxic, biodegradable, and renewable sources such as refined and used vegetable oils. and The
unsaturated free fatty acid which is defined as the ratio and position of carbon-carbon double
bond, one, two and three double bonds of carbon chain is named as a oleic, linoleic, and linolenic
fatty acid components respectively. Although vegetable oils possess many desirable
characteristics, currently they are not widely used as lubricant base oils. Largely this is due to
undesirable physical properties of most vegetable oils, which include both a high melting point
and insufficient thermal oxidative stability. Chemical modifications may improve the thermal,
oxidative and hydrolytic stabilities of the vegetable oils. The most important modifications occur
on the carboxyl groups of the fatty acids, approximately 90%, while oleo chemical reactions on
the fatty acid chain are approximately 10%. [ CITATION Whi05 \l 1033 ]
Transesterification, modifications on the carboxyl group, is the process of using an alcohol (e.g.,
methanol or ethanol) in the presence of a catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium
hydroxide, to chemically break the molecule of the raw vegetable oil into their methyl or ethyl
esters with glycerol as a byproduct. Few transesterification reactions are reported with higher

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alcohols C8 to C14, for use as lubricants. The process of transesterification is affected by the
mode of reaction, molar ratio of alcohol to oil, type of alcohol, nature and amount of catalysts,
reaction animal fats by adding some functional additives.
This thesis research work focuses on investigation of bio lubricant production using
homogeneous catalyst.

1.2. Statement of the problem

Lubricant derived from petroleum base is widely used in industries as anti-friction media and to
facilitate smooth operation. However, the increasing of its price and the depletion of crude oil
from the reserve is becoming the major problem of the world especially for developing countries
like Ethiopia. According to international energy report, February 2015 Ethiopia imports an
average of 505, 734, 00 barrels per day of petroleum products. Petroleum based lubricants are
naturally non-biodegradable and contains petroleum base stock, which are toxic to the
environment and difficult to dispose of after use. For instance, 1 liter of mineral oil contaminates
1 million liters of water for the human consumption.

1.3. Proposed solution

To solve that problem, our research proposal will develop environmentally friendly and
biodegradable lubricant from castor bean. In Ethiopia castor bean has been cultivated in large
quantities for several years without proper and planned way of cultivation. Instead of wasting
and exporting the seed to abroad countries processing to useful products like lubricants will
minimize foreign currency and creates job opportunities for the society.

1.4.Research question
Our research proposal will develop bio lubricant product from castor seed using sodium
hydroxide as catalyst. The research will attempt to answer the question like, what are the
parameter affecting the biolubricant produced? How biolubricant is economically feasible than
petroleum based lubricants?

1.5. Objective
1.5.1. General objective
The aim of this study is production of bio lubricant from castor bean.

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1.5.2. Specific objective
 To extract castor oil from castor bean.
 To characterize castor oil Viscosity, density and acid number of the castor.
 To control the process parameter like temperature, concentration and time.
 To characterize bio lubricant.

1.6. Scope of the Project

This project is aimed at the replacement of petroleum based lubricants, which the country was
importing from different countries of the world in large amount, by biodegradable and renewable
lubricant which is going to be processed from non-edible plant i.e. castor.

The significance of the project can be viewed from economic, social and environmental points.
Economically this proposal will initiate the country to minimize importing petroleum based
lubricants by replacing them with biodegradable and renewable lubricant which has better
characteristic than the recent one which will in turn decrease cost of importing, transportation. In
this way the country will become energetically self-sufficient, no fear for the depletion of
petroleum reservoirs. It also brings the county to green economy system
Socially by doing so the first beneficial will be farmers who are going to prepare a farm of this
plant. This is because they will be raw material suppliers for the industries that are engaged in
the production of castor based lubricants. For the country like Ethiopia in which 85% of its
people follow agriculture based way of life, such type of project is going to upgrade the society
economic status. After a successful implementation of the project, it will create a job opportunity
for the community by engaging through the production process.
Environmentally it has also advantage of decreasing the deposits from automobiles that use
petroleum based products, wastes that are going to be released after usage which cannot be
recycled back to the environment and also planting castor as farm will make comfortable
environment, as it is afforestation.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Bio lubricants
A lubricant is a substance introduced between two surfaces in relative motion in order to reduce
the friction between them and the wear induced by contact of the surfaces. Generally, many
lubricants are solutions or colloids that include a lubricating solvent or base fluid with functional
additives that improve its lubrication properties. Animal oils, vegetable oils, synthetic esters and
mineral oils are the examples of modern lubricant base fluids. Lubricants reduce both friction
and wear between moving surfaces. The measure of the ability of a lubricant to reduce friction
and wear is known as lubricity.[ CITATION Sil11 \l 1033 ]
Bio lubricants are made from different crop oils. More than 350 oil-bearing crops are known,
among which, only palm, soybean, sun flower, jatrofa, castor, coconut, rapeseed, cottonseed, and
peanut oils are considered as potential alternative bio lubricants. Bio lubricants can also be made
from synthetic esters and petroleum oils that satisfy established biodegradability and toxicity
criteria. Bio lubricants are generally considered as lubricants with high biodegradability as well
as low human and environmental toxicity.An excellent lubricant base fluid is required to have
low volatility, excellent heat and oxidative stability, good cold fluidity and high viscosity index. [
CITATION Hil04 \l 1033 ]

2.2. Historical development of lubricants

Although the use of lubricants is as old as mankind, scientific focus on lubricants and lubrication
technology is relatively new. Mankind has used lubricants from the early days of civilization to
assist in reducing the energy needed to slide one object against another. It is recorded that grease,
oil, or mud have been utilized as lubricant as early as 2400 B.C. and liquid lubricant was
valuable as the original lubricant for transporting sledges in the Sumerian and Egyptian
civilizations.[ CITATION Ogu06 \l 1033 ]
From the first century A.D., animal fats and vegetable oils were the principal lubricants used in
machinery such as lathes, pulleys, gears. During the period of industrial revolution around 1760,
heavy industrial iron and steel machinery, was widely introduced. Animal oils such as sperm
whale oil and vegetable oil from sources such as palm and groundnut oil saw increased use as
lubricants. At the same time, mineral oil obtained from the distillation of coal, was developed for
use as a lubricant. In the 1850s, small quantities of petroleum oil were produced in United States,

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Canada, Russia and Romania. Petroleum production, from oil wells in the United States,
increased substantially by the 1880s.[ CITATION Hil04 \l 1033 ]. Subsequently, mineral oils
accounted the greatest proportion of lubricant base oils.[ CITATION Sev06 \l 1033 ]

2.3. Overview of Lubricant in Ethiopia

From the report on Addis fortune magazine Saturday April 4, 2015, Lubtam Lubricants &
Greases, the first lubricants blending plant in Ethiopia, launched production on Tuesday, June
24.Lubtam, which rests on 10,000sqm of land in Gelan town in the Oromia Special Zone, has
been established with a capital of 10 million dollars as a subsidiary of Naztech Petroleum
Investment Group (NPI) based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The plant produces automotive, industrial and marine lubricants both for domestic consumption
and export based on the standards of the American Petroleum Institute (API), according to Nazar
Ibraheim (Eng.), chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Naztech.The company will start
production with 25,000tns, 40% of which will be for domestic consumption and the rest for
export to different countries in Africa. At full capacity, the factory will produce 75,000tns – more
than twice the current national demand of 35,000tns. The additives will also be imported from
American suppliers. Lubricants are imported to Ethiopia by private companies along with
asphalt, with the government setting the price to which Lubtam will comply, Khidir said.

2.4. Castor bean plant

Castor is originated in Africa and grows wild in East and North Africa, the Yemen and the near
and Middle East. It was cultivated in ancient Egypt as long as 400 B.C. It can be grown over a
wide altitude range in the tropics and with both low and medium rainfall. Heavy rainfall and
water logging should be avoided. At sustained temperatures above 1000F seed may fail to set.
The best soils for its cultivation are rich well-drained sandy or clayey loams. The plant itself
requires relatively less fertilizers, pesticides, water and maintenance than most other cultivated
crops, and it can grow in marginal land. There are different varieties of castor seeds but on the
average, they contain about 46–55% oil by weight.Castor seeds are poisonous to humans and
animals because they contain ricin, ricinine and certain allergens that are toxic.[ CITATION
Ogu06 \l 1033 ]

2.5.Castor oil
Castor oil is produced in the seed of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, and has been used

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 for medicinal purposes for many years. During the 20thcentury, a number of industrial uses were
developed including its use as a lubricant.[ CITATION Abr09 \l 1033 ]. Castor oil was introduced
into Brazil by the Portuguese for use as in illumination and as a carriage shaft lubricant. From its
seeds industrialization is obtained, as main product, the oil (47%) and, as by-product, the castor
waste that may be used as a fertilizer.

Castor oil possess unusual and has greater density, viscosity, ethanol solubility and lubricity
compared with other vegetable oil. This oil also has a wide chemical versatility inside the
industry, due to be used as raw material to the synthesis of a large amount of products. The
hydroxyl group of castor oil increases its polarity and makes it a better solvent for lubricant
additives than other vegetable or mineral oils. Besides, castor oil presents high viscosity and low
pour point, but its viscosity index is lower than the others vegetable oils, which means that its
viscosity changes more with temperature than the other oils. Castor oil has been used on the
manufacturing of more than 800 products, ranging from bullet-proof glasses, contact lenses,
lipsticks, metal soaps, special engine and high rotation reactors lubricants, high resistance
plastics,

2.6. Castor bean oil extraction method

There are two main types of processes for obtaining oil: physical and chemical. The physical
process, or expression, involves the use of mechanical power to remove oil from the seed, such
as batch hydraulic pressing and continuous mechanical pressing (screw presses). Chemical
processes, or extraction, are based in solvent extraction. These processes can be combined in
commercial operation, i.e. continuous mechanical pressing (expelling) with continuous solvent
extraction, and batch hydraulic pressing followed by solvent extraction.[ CITATION Par10 \l 1033 ]

New technologies are emerging, related to the production of vegetable oils, such as supercritical-
fluid extraction. In this study we used mechanical extraction to extract the oil from castor seed
because mechanical extraction has several advantages compared to the other methods, such as
simpleequipment and low investment, low operating cost, and the oil does not undergo solvent
separation process,etc.

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 Raw material
Oilextraction Purification
preparation

Polyolester synthesis Methyl ester Characterization of

synthesis castor oil

Blending Performance test Lubricant product

Figure 1:Process flow diagram for bio lubricant production.

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3. MATERIAL AND METHOD
3.1. Apparatus and Equipment
The main apparatus and equipment which will be used to carry out the experimental work of this
research are listed with their function.
Table 1: List of equipment and their function

Equipment Function
Reactor Transesterification reaction to be carried out
Mechanical presser To extract the oil
Flask Oil preparation to run the experiment
Beaker Water storage
Centrifuge For separation purpose
Measuring cylinder To measure the volume required
Vibro viscometer To measure the viscosity
Mechanical stirrer For mixing purpose
Thermometer To measure temperature
Dryer Oven To remove the moisture content of castor bean

3.2 Chemicals and material

The major chemicals and material used during the experiment are castor seed, methanol,
potassium hydroxide as a homogeneous catalyst and test study chemicals such as sodium
hydroxide, methanol alcohol, Phenophtaline, distilled water for acid value test, water and
sodium hydroxide for oil degumming and for neutralization respectively.

3.3 process description

Castor seed will be purchased from nearby available market and prepared for pretreatment in
the lab. The castor seed will go through clearing, drying, winnowing and size reduction to
facilitate the extraction process. Moisture content of the seed material will also be determined
using the standard method.

After the preparation of the raw material,mechanical presser will be used to extract the oil . The
crude oil obtained will be refined by degumming, neutralization bleaching and deodorization
operations. In degumming process, the oil will be heated to 700C under stirring at 1000 rpm in a
jacketed glass vessel connected to a circulation thermostat using 3% of boiled distilled water for
60 minutes to remove phosphatides, gums and other complex compounds which will be present

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in the crude castor oil. The degummed oil may contains some amount of water and precipitated
matter. So it will be removed by taking the oil to the centrifuge that will be operated for about 30
minute.

Next NaOH will be required to neutralize the free fatty acid present in the obtained sample. 5 g
of the sample (castor oil) will be weighed and transferred into a conical flask. Next, weight will
be recorded.50ml of isopropyl alcohol and 3 drops of the (phenolphthalein) indicator solution
will be added. It will be titrated with 0.5 N potassium hydroxide solution with constant stirring
until a faint, pink end point appears and persisted for 30 s.Then the physico-chemical properties
of extracted oil like moisture content, kinematic viscosity,free fatty acid and acid value will be
analyzed.

Synthesis of bio lubricant will involve two stages of transesterification. First the oils will be
transesterified by methanol using a catalyst and methyl ester produced will be separated from the
glycerol by a separatory funnel. The methyl ester will be transesterified with trimethylpropane
(TMP) with a sodium methoxide catalyst. The bio lubricant produced will be characterized and
compared with literature values and finally the performance will be tested.

3.4 Analysis method and expected result

3.4.1 Analysis method

Moisture content (%) = loss in weight on drying (g)
Mass of original sample (g)
Density of the oil = Sample weight (g)
Sample volume (ml)
Kinematic viscosity of oil = Dynamic viscosity of oil
Sample Volume
Acid value = V *N* 40.1
V=the titrant volume expressed in milliliter of 0.5N solution of methanol KOH at which
the end point is observed.
N= concentration of methanol NaOH
m=mass in gram of sample

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Free fatty acid= Acid value

3.4.2 Expected result

By using the above mentioned analysis method, we will expect the following physiochemical
properties of castor oil and bio lubricant oil.
Table 2: Expected physiochemical properties of castor oil

Property Castor oil Lubricant oil

Density@ 22oc 0.955 0.888
Kinematic viscosity@40oc 220 30
Acid value 2 -
Free fatty acid 1 -
Moisture content 0.26 -
Pour point - -5

4.WORK PLAN
Table 3: Time scedule for activities

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Activities Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July

Tittle selection

Literature gathering

Preparing thesis proposal

Submitting proposal

Proposal presentation &

approval

Material & chemical

purchasing

Laboratory setup &

arrangement

Experimentation

Data analysis &

documentation

Finalize & submit thesis

Presentation & defense thesis

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5.BUDGET BREAK DOWN
Table 4: Cost break down

Item Unit cost Quantity Total cost

(birr)

Castor seed 15 per kg 10 kg 150.00

Sodium hydroxide 912per kg 4kg 3648.00

Potassium hydroxide 1080per kg 2kg 2160.00

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Phenolphthalein 4430per kg 1kg 4430.00

Methanol 456 per L 4L 1824.00

Sodium lauryl sulphate 600 Per L 2L 1200.00

Trimethyl propane(TMP) 1852Per kg 2kg 3704.00

Transportation 80per 4 320.00

person

Total 17,436.00

Reference
1. Abreu. (2009). Utilization of metal complex as catalyst in the transesterification of Brazilian
vegetable oils with different alcohols. 29-33.
2. Hillier. (2004). Automotive lubricant.
3. Ogunniyi. (2006). Vital industrial raw material. bio resource technology , 1086-1091.
4. Paradhan. (2010). Super critical carbondioxide extraction of fatty oil from flaxseed and comparation
wih screw press expression and solvent extraction processes. food engineering , 393-397.
5. Sevim.Z. (2006). Oxidation and low temperature stablity of vegetable based lubricant.
6. Silva, J. (2011). Biodegradable lubricants and their production via chemical catalysts.
7. Whitby, R. (2005). understanding the global lubricants business.

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