Modification of RBD palm kernel and RBD palm stearin oil with ZDDP additive addition

Abstract

Vegetable oils have gained worldwide concern due to environmental issues since it is biodegradable, renewable and environmental-friendly. However, the limitations of vegetable oils such as having low oxidation stability and poor low temperature properties need to be solved. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the tribological behavior of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm kernel and RBD palm stearin by using a modified pin-on-disc tester. The influence of an anti-wear/extreme pressure (AW/EP) additive on the anti-friction and anti-wear characteristics was also evaluated. The experiment was carried out by varying zinc-dialkyl-dithiophosphate (ZDDP) additive concentration of 1wt%, 3wt% and 5wt%; load of 1kg, sliding speed of 2.5 m/s, test duration of 60 minutes and at room temperature. The findings have revealed that without an additive, RBD palm kernel and RBD palm stearin have high friction coefficient and wear as compared with synthetic oils. The addition of additives helps in the improvement of tribological performance of tested vegetable oils. It can be concluded that vegetable oils have a great potential to be used as a petroleum-based substitute.