NANOSTRUCTURED AL2O3/GRAPHENE AS NANO-ADDITIVES IN COCONUT OIL AS A NANO/BIO-LUBRICANT TO ENHANCE ENGINE OIL PERFORMANCE

The usage of internal combustion engines (ICEs) for both personal and industrial purposes is expected to persist beyond 2050. However, due to environmental concerns, there is a growing call to reduce global reliance on petrochemicals and lubricants derived from fossil fuels. To address this, new strategies are needed to enhance ICE performance by minimizing friction, wear, fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions. This approach would mitigate the depletion of mineral and fossil fuel reserves and minimise environmental pollution. This study focuses on enhancing ICE performance using nano-bio lubricants. These lubricants are formulated using 2D nanocomposites of Al2O3/graphene as new additives in coconut oil, with performance comparable to mineral-based engine oil 15W40. The Al2O3/graphene nanocomposite synthesized via thermal annealing was found to have a rich sp2 domain with spherical/laminar morphology and an ultra-fine particle size (<10 nm). When formulated as a nanofluid, it indicated consistent colloidal stability. Valuable insights into the tribological mechanism were acquired through several characterization techniques, containing friction and wear analysis. Reductions in the coefficient of friction (by 28%), specific fuel consumption (by 8%), and the emissions of exhaust pollutants (CO, SO2, and NOx) were the significant achievements of optimizing a 2D tribological system using coconut oil formulation. This study showcases the advantages of utilizing nano-bio lubricants, which are developed with coconut oil and 2D-based hybrids as base stock and additives. These solutions can be applied to other areas where lubricants are essential such as improving fuel consumption while reducing environmental pollution to address global challenges.