Preparation of a Water-Based Lubricant from Lignocellulosic Biomass and Its Tribological Properties

Lignocellulosic biomass is considered as a major feedstock to produce value-added renewable chemicals. In this study, a new water-based lubricant was prepared using biomass-derived levulinic acid (LA) and polyols such as ethylene glycol and glycerol. The products were separated by rotary film molecular distillation and characterized by ¹H NMR and mass spectrometry. Lubricant properties such as kinematic viscosity, pour, cloud, and flash points, copper strip corrosion, and volatility at 120 °C were evaluated according to standard ASTM methods. Furthermore, the hydrolytic stability and tribological properties of the products were tested for water-based lubricants. The results indicated that glycerol ester of levulinic acid (LAGLE) exhibited superior lubricant properties, strong resistance to hydrolytic degradation, and excellent antiwear performance, implying that the biomass-derived LAGLE was a potential water-based lubricant