Typically, lubricating oils are great for lubricating, but lousy for the environment. Made of synthetic oils, petroleum derivatives, metallic soaps and synthetic polymers, they’re impressive on the job — but create nothing but headaches when it comes time for disposal. Even mineral-based oils can contaminate groundwater for more than 100 years, stunting trees and killing off fish and other aquatic life.
Then chemical engineers at the University of Huelva took on the task of developing “a product that could be used as a lubricating grease but that was made only from natural materials and was therefore 100 percent biodegradable.”
Their answer came in the form of “oleogels,” lubricants that use cellulose from plants as a lubricant. Oleogels may not be quite up to the performance level of toxic lubricants, but they’re inexpensive, easy to process, and, according to researchers, “have a similar level of mechanical stability to that of traditional greases” and maintains its viscosity.
Best of all, of course, oleogels are non-toxic, non-polluting alternatives to existing synthetic lubricants. When it comes to clean, efficient lubricants — grease is the word.