Biolubricants for the textile and tannery industries as an alternative to conventional mineral oils: An application experience in the Tuscany province

Abstract The use of chemical compounds of vegetable origin in industrial production shows several environmentally beneficial effects (renewability, biodegradability, low toxicity, no impact on CO 2 level) over synthetic products presently being widely used. In this paper, some pre-industrial studies on the potential of substituting in two Tuscan industrial districts some mineral lubricants (mainly alkylbenzene) widely used in textile (spinning phase of wool) and tannery (both in dry and damp phase) processing with formulations based on High Oleic Sunflower Oil (HOSO) will be discussed. This research was carried out by private companies that depend on seed production (farmers and their main associations, Seed Company), oil extraction, refining, and formulation. The new, low environmental impact formulations were tested at an industrial level to verify their application potential from technical, environmental, and economical viewpoints. The results confirmed that HOSO could substitute mineral oils in textile and tannery applications without any technical problem and without any facility modifications. In some cases such as crust leather production, the HOSO-based lubricant (BIOVIT) improved the softness of the finished product. The environmental impact evaluation carried out by the Eurostat framework of environmental pressure indicators confirmed how a higher sustainability could be obtained by the utilisation of new oils characterised by a higher biodegradability. Finally, the economic analysis showed a higher production cost and price of vegetable oils, but, at the same time, indicated the possibility of reducing the required amount due to a lower utilisation rate. Anyway, the price difference between the mineral and vegetable-based oils has to be limited to arrive at a commercial application. Based on these results, HOSO could represent an efficient alternative to mineral oils and so new commercial lubricant called BIOVIT based on HOSO began to be commercialised both for textile and tannery industries.