Castor oil-based lubricant reduces smoke emission in two-stroke engines

Smoky emissions from two-stroke gasoline engines (2T) are a problem for the environment. Use of vegetable oil (oxygenate) is one solution. A biodegradable 2T-oil was developed from castor oil, which consisted of tolyl monoesters and performance additives but no miscibility-solvent. Evaluation revealed that on one hand it reduced smoke by 50-70% at 1% oil fuel ratio and on the other hand it was at par with standard product specification. Starting problems, piston-seizer or any other driving problems were not observed during the test. There is excellent potential for castor oil based biodegradable 2T-lubricant as a smoke pollution reducer. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.