Synthetic Lubricants Derived from Plastic Waste and their Tribological Performance

Scientific Achievement

Direct conversion of waste plastics into liquids with low-temperature catalytic hydrogenolysis. These liquids lubricate as effectively as expensive synthetic lubricant.

Significance and Impact

Upcycling of an untapped feedstock is showcased as economically feasible and the product as a base oil effectively

Conversion of waste plastics (e.g. bubble wrap) into liquid lubricants
Conversion of waste plastics (e.g. bubble wrap) into liquid lubricants

lowers the coefficient of friction and reduces wear in a mechanical system under operating conditions.

Research Details
–Catalytic hydrogenolysis of HDPE, LLDPE, and bubble wrap was performed at 300 °C and 170 psi of H2 under solvent-free conditions, yielding monodisperse liquid products from single-use polyethylene stream, with no detectable unsaturated hydrocarbons
 
–Tribological analysis at 25 and 100 °C showed that liquid products from the hydrogenolysis of plastics have superior performance compared to Group III mineral oil at 25 °C and comparable to synthetic PAO oils at 100 °C
 
–Techno-economic analysis of the catalysis and liquid product yielded a production cost of $4.09/gallon with a selling point of ~$9.00/gallon, making lubricant production using waste plastics economically viable
 

Hackler, R. A.; Vyavhare, K.; Kennedy, R. M.; Celik, G.; Kanbur, U.; Griffin, P. J.; Sadow, A. D.; Zang, G.; Elgowainy, A.; Sun, P.; Poeppelmeier, K. R.; Erdemir, A.; Delferro, M. Synthetic Lubricants Derived from Plastic Waste and their Tribological Performance. ChemSusChem 2021, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202100912.