Open AccessPreparation and characterization of grease formulated from waste transformer oil
Author(s) -
S. N. A. Mohd Sofi,
Mohd Aizudin Abd Aziz,
N. Suhaila A. Japar,
Nurul Waheeda Abdu Rahman,
A. R. Abdulhalim,
Mohd Yusri Bin Mohd Yunus
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/702/1/012034
Subject(s) - grease , materials science , bentonite , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , thermal stability , fumed silica , base oil , chemical engineering , composite material , scanning electron microscope , engineering
Grease is known as a lubricating material in a form of solid to semisolid mixture which is produced with the combination of base oil (80% - 95%), thickener (2% - 15%) and additive (0% - 10%). The limitation of soap grease performances as well as the volatile oil prices worldwide has led the interest in seeking alternative grease formulation. This research is focusing on the formulation of non-soap based grease from waste transformer oil (WTO) by two types of non-soap based thickeners, i.e. fumed silica and bentonite. The grease is prepared using different ratios of WTO and non-soap thickener ranging from 90:10 to 65:35. The physical and chemical properties of the formulated grease were evaluated using the ASTM International grease testing standard – for consistency and oil separation, and using the thermalgravimetric analyzer (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) – for thermal stability and composition identification. It was found that the grease consistencies were directly proportional to the amount of thickener and the oil separated from the grease will affect the grease stability. Greases were found thermally stable at temperature as high as 150 °C. From the overall test, the best formulation was the grease formulated using bentonite with the ratio of 80:20 with NLGI grade 2 consistency.