Production of biodegradable grease from Atili (Blackdate) oil

The work was aimed at the production of biodegradable grease from Atili (Blackdate) Oil that will be environmentally friendly. The grease was produced by mixing and blending of the base oil (Atili oil) with a mixture of calcium hydroxide and the stearic acid at 90oC which was then slowly heated to 190oC for about three hours to obtain the desired product. Three sets of the grease were produced by varying the amount of thickener, the base oil, the stearic acid and the temperature of the reaction. The grease produced was then milled (pound) to obtain a smooth-textured product at room temperature. The tests carried out to analyze the grease produced were dropping point test, unworked and worked penetration test; and most importantly, the test for biodegradability known as BOD5 test. Dropping point test was carried out to determine the temperature at which the grease sample began to drip. The consistency of the grease was measured using the worked and unworked penetration test. Finally, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand test or BOD5 was carried out by measuring the amount of oxygen dissolved in a grease sample initially and after five days. The results showed that dropping point was 70oC, 68oC and 71oC for sets 1, 2, and 3 samples respectively. The consistency values were 0.4 mm, 0.8 mm, and 0.3mm for sets 1, 2, and 3 samples respectively. The BOD was found to be 18.0 ppm, 16.8 ppm, and 18.0ppm for sets 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The grease produced was found to be more biodegradable than those made of mineral oil like Oando and Texaco grease which were 4.8ppm and 6.0ppm respectively. The consistency and dropping point of the grease was found to be dependent on the nature and amount of thickener used and also the viscosity of the base oil.