Recent developments in synthesizing biolubricants — a review

Biolubricants are bio-based compounds that represent a renewable and biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based lubricants. Although biolubricant applications appear promising, their commercial deployment is still limited. Research in the field of biolubricants is continuously developing to improve their properties as well as their production processes, with the aim of overcoming the current limitations and enhance large-scale application. This review paper aims at reviewing the most recent developments in the ever-evolving field of biolubricant synthesis, focusing on novel feedstocks and catalysts, as well as new chemical modification routes and additive components that aim at further improving their sustainability. Moreover, to bridge the gap between small-scale synthesis and industrial realization, techno-economic and life cycle studies aiming at assessing the feasibility of large-scale biolubricant production are also reviewed. Finally, some considerations and future prospects are discussed based on the key findings of the analysis, which revealed that, while considerable effort is being made to improve the properties and the sustainability of biolubricants, significant work has yet to be done in terms of design and optimization of an industrial-scale process.