Production of cellulose nanocrystals extracted from Pennisetum purpureum fibers and its application as a lubricating additive in engine oil

Rajendra Aryasena; Kusmono; Nafiatul Umami

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11315

Production of cellulose nanocrystals extracted from Pennisetum purpureum fibers and its application as a lubricating additive in engine oil

Heliyon. 2022 Nov 1;8(11):e11315. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11315. eCollection 2022 Nov.

Authors

Rajendra Aryasena¹, Kusmono¹, Nafiatul Umami²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Jalan Grafika No. 2, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia.
² Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Jl. Fauna No. 3 Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia.

Abstract

In the present work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were successfully produced from the Pennisetum purpureum (PP) fibers through ammonium persulfate (APS) oxidation. The effect of oxidation temperatures (60, 70, and 80 °C) on the properties of CNCs was characterized. In addition, the influence of CNCs addition (0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 wt%) on the lubrication properties of the base oil SAE 40 lubricant was also investigated. The characteristics of the CNCs were determined by using FT-IR, XRD, TEM, and TGA. The lubrication properties were evaluated using kinematic viscosity and viscosity index measurements. The optimal oxidation temperature was found at 60 °C which resulted in the needle-shaped CNCs particles with high crystallinity (66.56%), an average diameter (15 nm), and an average length (79 nm). The resulting CNCs exhibited higher thermal stability than the PP fibers. Both kinematic viscosity and viscosity index did not significantly change by increasing the CNCs contents. However, a slightly higher viscosity index was exhibited for 0.2 wt% CNCs compared to that of neat base oil SAE 40. The CNCs obtained had high potential as a reinforcing agent of nanocomposites and also as a bio-lubricating additive in engine oil.

Keywords: Ammonium persulfate; Cellulose nanocrystals; Lubrication properties; Pennisetum purpureum fibers.