Collaborative Project: Development of an Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant for Use on Steel Wire Ropes for Cranes (BioLub)
Duration: January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2026
Grant ID: 100730945
The use of lubricants is indispensable in 21st-century industry. Their primary functions include reducing friction, preventing surface contact, and providing corrosion protection. Due to the high demands placed on the functionality, durability, and load-bearing capacity of wire ropes in a wide variety of applications (e.g., elevators, mining, cable cars, crane systems...), lubricants for wire ropes - so-called rope preservatives or rope lubricants - have properties specifically tailored to these applications and are available on the market only from a few specialized companies. As part of the material handling industry, these companies are heavily dependent on petroleum and petrochemicals. Each year, approximately 40–50% of the roughly 5 million metric tons of lubricants used in Europe alone end up unfiltered in the environment. As a result, these products cause persistent pollution and associated environmental damage, both on land and in water. However, current scientific research already points to possibilities for using natural wax esters and oils that can be derived from plant seeds, animal fats, and even microorganisms. Previous studies outline concepts for extracting raw materials for the large-scale production of bio-lubricants. In the interest of sustainability, the goal is now to facilitate the transition to environmentally acceptable lubricants (EAL). Based on this, the goal of the BioLuB research project is defined as follows: to capitalize on existing opportunities and develop a new, environmentally friendly, and sustainable bio-lubricant in accordance with EAL standards, i.e., containing at least 25% bio-based ingredients, being readily biodegradable, non-hazardous to the environment, and suitable for use on wire ropes. The BioLuB research project aims to develop a sustainable lubricant that provides the same mechanical properties and comparable durability and load-bearing capacity for a wire rope as treatment with a conventional rope preservative. The project is a collaborative effort between ELASKON Sachsen GmbH and TU Dresden. This combines the company’s expertise in the development of wire rope preservatives - including the evaluation of raw materials - with the long-standing experience in application-oriented testing of wire ropes and their properties at the Chair of Logistics Engineering. The expertise of the Institute of Water Chemistry at TU Dresden is being utilized for the systematic investigation of biodegradability. To achieve the project’s goal, a partnership has thus been established that is well-equipped to meet all aspects of the project’s challenges.