conference paper · SPE Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition
Wear and friction cause energy loss, equipment damage, and high maintenance costs, prompting research into bio-based lubricant additives. Graphene oxide synthesised from palm shell waste was analysed and evaluated as an additive to jatropha oil. Characterisation confirmed a flake-like morphology with well-spaced layers, a multilayer crystalline structure, and oxygen-bearing functional groups including hydroxyl, epoxy, and carboxyl groups. Tribological evaluation using a four-ball tester demonstrated that the graphene oxide and jatropha oil formulations outperformed neat jatropha oil across all metrics tested. Under an 80 kg load, an optimal addition of 1 weight percent graphene oxide decreased the wear scar width by 59 percent, reduced the coefficient of friction by 21 percent, and increased surface roughness reduction by 13 percent. The results demonstrate the viability of using bio-derived graphene oxide as a sustainable lubricant additive.
Mechanical friction and equipment wear lead to substantial energy waste, costly repairs, and environmental concerns. Producing functional graphene oxide from agricultural palm shell waste to reinforce plant-based oils provides a renewable alternative to petroleum-based lubricants. This approach can help industrial sectors lower operating wear, improve energy efficiency, and advance circular economy practices through waste valorisation.
This technology targets eco-friendly lubrication in advanced tribological and mechanical systems, of interest to industrial lubricant manufacturers and plant operators seeking bio-based alternatives. At present, the findings represent early-stage laboratory testing conducted on a four-ball tribological machine. Commercial deployment would require validating fluid performance under broader operating environments, assessing long-term dispersion stability, and developing scalable processing routes for palm-waste-derived graphene oxide.
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Abstract Wear and friction on equipment during operation are raising concerns about energy waste, machine component damage, excessive maintenance costs, and environmental sustainability. This sparked research and interest in the use of biomaterials with favorable physiochemical characteristics that would provide a way to enhance lubrication and lessen wear in mechanical processes. The potential of graphene oxide (GO), which is produced from palm shell waste, as an additive to improve the performance of jatropha oil (JO) lubricants was investigated in this study. To verify its structural and chemical characteristics, the GO was thoroughly analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed a flake-like morphology with well-spaced layers, conducive to forming protective tribo-films. High crystallinity and multilayer structure were indicated by a strong peak at 2θ = 11.4° in X-ray diffraction (XRD). FTIR verified the existence of oxygen-containing functional groups such hydroxyl, epoxy, and carboxyl, whereas UV–visible spectroscopy revealed absorption bands at 231 nm and 295 nm. The tribological behavior of the formulation in base JO was determined using a four ball tester tribological equipment. The results showed that GO–JO formulations outperformed neat JO in every property examined. The wear scar width decreased by 59%, the friction coefficient decreased by 21%, and the surface roughness reduction increased by 13% with the ideal 1 wt.% GO under 80 kg loading. The results confirm that employing bio-derived GO as an environmentally friendly and sustainable nanolubricant additive for advanced tribological systems is easily achievable.
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DOI: 10.2118/234823-ms
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