(655d) Lubricant Base Oils Production from Biomass

The gradual depletion of world fossil fuel resources and global environmental concerns have prompted the use of biomass feedstock for renewable products. Lubricant is one such product that is primarily obtained from petroleum and it is introduced to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact. Base oils are the main components of lubricant and the majority of them are petroleum-derived mineral oils and synthetic oils (e.g. poly-α-olefins). The oils are formulated with different additives into several grades to suit automotive and industrial applications. Production of lubricant base oils from biomass will be an attractive alternative to petroleum derived-based oils to improve sustainability. So far, a few efforts have been devoted to the synthesis of lubricant-based oil alicyclic hydrocarbons, from biomass furans.^1-2 In this work, we report a novel route for selective production of base oil hydrocarbons from biomass platform chemicals and natural oils. The overall yield of hydrocarbons could reach up to 80%. Importantly, the hydrocarbon structures can be tailored using different biomass derived compounds to tune properties for various applications.

1. Balakrishnan, E. R. Sacia, S. Sreekumar, G. Gunbas, A. A. Gokhale, C. D. Scown, F. D. Toste and A. T. Bell, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2015, 112, 7645-7649.
2. Balakrishnan, G. E. Arab, O. B. Kunbargi, A. A. Gokhale, A. M. Grippo, F. D. Toste and A. T. Bell, Green Chem. 2016, 18, 3577-3581.