Sustainability assessment of agro waste and hybrid nanolubricants from a life cycle perspective on environmental impacts

A comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study was conducted to compare the environmental impacts of three lubricant systems: Synthetic Lubricant (15W40), Sustainable Bio-based Lubricant (SBC), and a hybrid nanolubricant (MD10) comprising 25% SBC and 75% 15W40, along with rGO. LCA analysis was carried out using OpenLCA software with the ReCiPE 2016 Midpoint Methodology in the Indian condition and a Cradle-to-grave system boundary. Based on the findings of this study, SBC had the greatest environmental impact in terms of Climate Change, Ecotoxicity, Human Toxicity, and Material Depletion. On the other hand, Synthetic Lubricant (15W40) had a moderate level of environmental performance. However, the most significant advantage of MD10 was its minimal environmental impact among the three lubricant systems studied here. It can be attributed to reduced processing time and better use of raw materials, with the enhancement of properties provided by rGO. The findings indicate that although the use of renewable resources may help reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with lubricants, it is also important to consider how these resources are processed. Our research thus demonstrates that a combination of biobased and synthetic lubricants, with enhanced tribological performance enabled by hybrid nanomaterials, represents one possible way forward to achieve sustainable lubrication.