Synthesis of biolubricants from palm oil mill effluent using commercial lipase

The increasing demand for lubricants, accompanied by the trend of using renewable and environmentally friendly energy, drives the development of alternative production of biolubricants. Biolubricants are compounds classified as polyol esters derived from vegetable oils. This study aims to synthesize biolubricants from palm oil mill effluent (POME) using commercial lipase and to determine the properties of biolubricants through basic characteristic testing. The vegetable oil still contained in POME was extracted and used as the raw material in the synthesis of biolubricants using commercial lipase through the transesterification reaction. The synthesized biolubricants were then characterized, including determination of density, viscosity, acid number, thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis, and functional group analysis using FTIR spectrophotometry. The results showed that the residual vegetable oil in POME can be utilized as raw material for biolubricant synthesis, producing biolubricants with a density of 0.9066 g/mL, viscosity of 9.229 mm²/s, and acid number of 0.68 mg KOH/g. These characteristics were similar to those of commercial lubricants. Furthermore, the TLC and FTIR tests of the biolubricants also showed results comparable to commercial lubricants. Based on the results, it can be concluded that biolubricants have been successfully synthesized with basic characteristics similar to other commercial lubricants.