Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Formation of Carbon-Based Tribofilm Under Palm Methyl Ester

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Tribology Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The popularity of biodiesel is continuously increasing nowadays because of fossil fuel’s shortage and environment concerns. Biodiesel is renewable, carbon neutral, and, most importantly, usable in diesel engines without modification. Particularly, the biodiesel from palm oil, palm methyl ester (PME), has become the main source of the world’s biodiesel due to its availability. One of the main concerns in biodiesel fuel usage is its ability to lubricate the mechanical components of the fuel system such as injection pump and nozzle sprayer since those parts are mainly lubricated by the fuel. In this research, an investigation has been conducted to analyze the characteristic of a tribofilm (boundary film) produced by friction of self-mated stainless steel at boundary lubrication condition using palm methyl ester as the lubricant. The friction tests were conducted using a ball on disk tribometer. The results show that excessive wear of the material was prevented; thanks to the tribofilm formed on the contact interface. The analysis shows that the tribofilm has a unique characteristic indicated by the presence of D-band’s peak but the absence of G-band’s peak in its Raman spectra. It seems that the carbon-based tribofilm was formed on the solid surface as a result of carbon decomposition from the palm methyl ester assisted by the tribo-chemical reaction. Although its real structure is still not clear, the tribofilm has an excellent ability to protect the material from severe friction and wear.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lacis, A.A., Schmidt, G.A., Rind, R., Ruedy, R.A.: Atmospheric CO2: principal knob governing earth’s temperature. Science 330, 356–359 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Capunitan, J.A., Capareda, S.C.: Characterization and separation of corn stover bio-oil by fractional distillation. Fuel 112, 60–73 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Daroch, M., Geng, S., Wang, G.: Recent advances in liquid biofuel production from algal feedstocks. Appl. Energy 102, 1371–1381 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. De Silva, P.R., Priest, M., Lee, P.M., Coy, R.C., Taylor, R.I.: Tribometer investigation of the frictional response of piston rings when lubricated with the separated phases of lubricant contaminated with the gasoline engine biofuel ethanol and water. Tribol. Lett. 43(2), 107–120 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. BP Statistical Review of World Energy June. https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/en/corporate/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-review-2017/bp-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2017-full-report.pdf (2017). Accessed 12 Sept 2017

  6. Chong, C.T., Ng, J.H., Ahmad, S., Rajoo, S.: Oxygenated palm biodiesel: ignition, combustion and emissions quantification in a light-duty diesel engine. Energy Convers. Manag. 101, 317–325 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kim, S., Dale, B.E.: Life cycle assessment of various cropping systems utilized for producing biofuels: bioethanol and biodiesel. Biomass Bioenergy 29, 426–439 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Xu, Y., Hu, X., Yuan, K., Zhu, G., Wang, W.: Friction and wear behaviors of catalytic methylesterified bio-oil. Tribol. Int. 71, 168–174 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Masjuki, H.H., Maleque, M.A.: The effect of palm oil diesel fuel contaminated lubricant on sliding wear of cast irons against mild steel. Wear 198, 293–299 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Choi, U.S., Ahn, B.G., Kwon, O.K., Chun, Y.J.: Tribological behavior of some antiwear additives in vegetable oils. Tribol. Int 30(9), 677–683 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Haseeb, A.S.M.A., Sia, S.Y., Fazal, M.A., Masjuki, H.H.: Effect of temperature on tribological properties of palm biodiesel. Energy 35(3), 1460–1464 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Wain, K.S., Perez, J.M., Chapman, E., Boehman, A.L.: Alternative and low sulfer fuel options: boundary lubrication performance and potential problems. Tribol. Int. 38(3), 313–319 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Xu, Y., Wang, Q., Hu, X., Chen, J.. Preliminary study on the tribological performance of straw based bio-fuel. In: Procedings of the STLE/ASME International Joint Tribology Conference: IJC2007, USA, pp. 1022–1024. (2007)

  14. Sharma, B.K., Kenneth, M.D., Sevim, Z.E.: Ester hydroxy derivatives of methyl oleate: tribological oxidation and low temperature properties. Biores. Technol. 99(15), 7333–7340 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Knothe, G., Steidley, K.R.: Lubricity of components of biodiesel and petrodiesel. The origin of biodiesel lubricity. Energy Fuels 19, 1192–1200 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. ASM Aerospace Specification Metal Inc. http://asm.matweb.com/search/SpecificMaterial.asp?bassnum=mq304a (2018). Accessed 1 May

  17. Song, C., Hao Yu, H., Li, L., Lu, J.: Effect of carbon at interface of austenite on manganese segregation of low carbon and manganese steel. Mater. Lett., 174, 75–58 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Ibrahim, B.T., Motomichi, K., Burak, B., Demircan, C., Akiyama, E., Tsuzaki, K.: High concentration carbon assist plasticity-driven hydrogen embrittlement in a Fe-high Mn steel with a relatively high stacking energy. Mate. Sci. Eng A 717, 78–84 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Erdemir, A., Eryilmaz, O.L., Ramirez, G., Narayanan, B., Liao, Y., Kamath, G., Sankaranarayanan, S.K.: Carbon-based tribofilms from lubrication oils. Nature 536(7614), 67–71 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Taiho Tribology Research Foundation (TTRF) and The Directorate of Higher Education, Kemenristekdikti Indonesia are highly acknowledged for this research. Funding for this research are provided by TTRF in 2013 and KemenristekdiktiIndonesia in 2014. The authors would like to express a sincere appreciation to Dr. Takanori Takeno for fruitful discussion and valuable supports in this research work and to Ms. Tomomi Watari and Dr. Hirotsuna Sato for assistances in data analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, Syiah Kuala University, Jl. Tgk. Syech Abdurrauf No. 7, Banda Aceh, 23111, Indonesia

    Zahrul Fuadi & Tadjuddin Muhammad

  2. Laboratory of Tribology and Nanointerface Engineering, Division of Mechanical Engineering, Tohoku University, Aramaki Aza Aoba 6-6-01, Sendai, 980-8579, Japan

    Koshi Adachi

Authors
  1. Zahrul Fuadi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Koshi Adachi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tadjuddin Muhammad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zahrul Fuadi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fuadi, Z., Adachi, K. & Muhammad, T. Formation of Carbon-Based Tribofilm Under Palm Methyl Ester. Tribol Lett 66, 88 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-018-1036-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-018-1036-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation