Green Tribology for Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goals include very important topic of industry and innovation (SDG9) where tribology, defined as the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion, can play very important role. It can be explained by the losses connected with friction and wear in machines estimated by significant portion of the gross national product and energy consumption, as well as great social significance of tribology in its ecological and medical aspects. The concept of “green tribology” has been formulated meeting the SDG strategy. Green tribology can provide design solutions, better materials and lubricants for many types of tribosystems. The efficient way to decrease losses in energy and materials is to replace the metal parts of machinery and vehicles with composite components based on polymers. Combination of low mass-density, resistance to corrosion, self-lubrication, and relatively easy processing make polymers very prospective due to the use of different fillers greatly improving their tribological behavior. Recent approval of EU directives has initiated the promotion of plant oils instead of the mineral ones and it is important to find the efficient ways of such a replacement.