Due to environmental concerns, natural oils are increasingly being used as an alternative to mineral oil-based products such as lubricants. However, the use of edible oil for industrial application adversely affects their availability for edible purposes. Chaulmoogra oil is a non-edible oil obtained from the seeds of chaulmoogra tree that grows in wastelands. The fatty acid constituents of vegetable oils determine their properties. Presence of long-chain cyclic fatty acids like chaulmoogric acid, hydnocarpic acid and gorlic acid distinguishes chaulmoogra oil from other oils. Research on how cyclic fatty acids influence the properties of vegetable oils and affect their efficacy as base oils for lubricants is scarce in the literature. This paper presents a preliminary evaluation of the physicochemical, viscometric, oxidative and tribological properties of chaulmoogra oil as a lubricant base stock. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy methods were used for structure elucidation. The viscometric analysis was conducted by using Brookfield viscometer. The tribological performance was evaluated by a four-ball apparatus as per ASTM D4172-94. Thermal and oxidative stabilities were evaluated by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis in nitrogen and oxygen environments. Pour point was assessed by ASTM D97 method and differential scanning calorimetry. Chaulmoogra oil has a viscosity of 9.2 cSt at 100 ℃ and a viscosity index of 166. Though the coefficient of friction was better than a commercial lubricant of similar viscosity range (SAE 20W40), the wear scar diameter was comparatively higher. Addition of antiwear additive zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate showed considerable improvement in the wear performance of chaulmoogra oil. Chaulmoogra oil showed a high pour point value around 15 ℃ which needs to be improved by appropriate pour point depressants. Environmental advantage, coupled with non-edible nature of chaulmoogra oil, makes it an excellent base stock for lubricants.

This study introduces chaulmoogra oil as a base stock for lubricant formulation. The tribological properties of chaulmoogra oil are evaluated by quantitative structure-property relation (QSPR) technique using the molecular modelling package Spartan 18. The quantum chemical calculations were performed on a typical molecule of chaulmoogra oil and its constituent fatty acids. The orbital energy gap of the constituent fatty acids in chaulmoogra oil is 7.37 eV and that of chaulmoogra oil molecule is 6.8 eV, which is less than that of the lauric acid, the main constituent of coconut oil (7.78 eV). Orbital energy gap predicts a better tribological performance for chaulmoogra oil, and the four ball test result is in agreement with this prediction. Oxidative property of chaulmoogra oil is tested by isothermal thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA) and compared with different oils. Weight gain in oxygen is only 0.02% for chaulmoogra oil and showed better oxidative stability among all other tested oils.