Grinding is an essential manufacturing process, yet the heat due to friction associated with the process causes damage to the part being processed. Lubrication is used to reduce friction; however, traditional petroleum-based lubricants can harm the environment and are hazardous to humans.
A paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production addresses the issues associated with traditional lubricants and presents a novel eco-friendly technique to develop lubricating fluid using nanoparticles.
Grinding – Its Importance and Implications
Grinding is one of the most popular precision manufacturing methods for producing parts, offering excellent surface integrity and fine dimensional tolerances at a reduced cost. Nevertheless, the synchronized rubbing, shearing, and plowing action of randomly dispersed abrasive grains create a large amount of heat due to friction in the machining area.
It is important to note that almost all of the energy produced during the grinding process is converted to heat energy. The bulk of this heat permeates the machined part, especially difficult-to-machine materials (DTMMs). This high temperature has a significant influence on surface quality and grinding performance.
The Impact of Lubricating Fluids
To counteract the problem of overheating and ensure the highest possible grinding performance, lubrication for grinding purposes has emerged as a current area of primary scientific focus.
For decades, various lubricating fluids have been used to improve the grinding performance by reducing surplus heat within the machining area. Unfortunately, 85% of these machining fluids are petroleum-based lubricating fluids derived from crude oil extracts and extracts containing chemical additives such as chlorine.
The Negative Side of Lubricants
This whole process has extremely negative environmental repercussions, including soil and water contamination, as well as adverse health implications for machine workers, such as cancer, breathing issues, dermatitis, and genetic illnesses.
As a result, it has become important to investigate practical and sustainable manufacturing solutions that are economically viable, safe for the community, waste-free, and limit negative environmental consequences.
A Transition Towards Green Eco-Friendly Lubrication
Vegetable-based oils are considered ideal options for replacing conventional lubricating fluids to make that progress toward green eco-friendly lubrication.
Vegetable-based oils have a relatively high viscosity, are biodegradable, and have great dispersion properties. Furthermore, straight vegetable-based oils provide an extra-strong lubricant layer that interacts aggressively with the metallic surface, reducing wear due to friction.
Many research teams have attempted to employ vegetable-based oils as lubricants for minimal quantity lubrication (MQL)-based grinding of DTMMs to replace traditional lubricating fluids.
Nanofluids – Overcoming Lubrication Barriers
Although various investigations have shown that MQL has superior lubricating properties, the cooling efficacy of MQL-based grinding is not optimum.
To resolve the issue of low cooling efficacy, a new kind of lubricant, nanofluid (NFs), may be manufactured to improve heat transmission.
Many researchers have emphasized the significant advantages of NFs over traditional lubricating fluids in grinding. As a result, NFs are used extensively in grinding-based processes to increase surface quality and reduce machining loads.
Basis of Current Research in Eco-Friendly Lubricants
The current study aimed to investigate the viability of eco-friendly vegetable-based lubricants, such as aluminum oxide-based NFs, in MQL-based grinding of AISI tool steel. The study aimed to consider technology used, sustainability, and product quality factors.
A variety of lubricants were used as the base fluid for MQL-based grinding in the study to determine the impact of the lubricating fluid and to analyze the cooling performance of the fluid on the AISI tool steel’s technological and sustainability indices, including energy consumption, carbon emission, manufacturing costs, friction coefficient, roughness, BC proportion, surface characteristics, and microchip morphology.
Results of the Study
Through thorough research, the team pointed out that a sustainable MQL-based system with eco-friendly nanoparticle-based lubricants, particularly aluminum oxide-based NFs, is the ideal solution for lubricants in the precision machining industries for eco-friendly fabrication of steel components.
The aluminum oxide-based NFs method dramatically improved grinding performance, surface quality, and sustainability.
The team concluded that a wide range of precision machining-based industries has potential usage for sustainable, eco-friendly grinding. Thus, making NFs a very desirable lubricant when it comes to grinding-based processes.
News
How Brain Cells Talk: Inside the Complex Language of the Human Mind
Introduction The human brain contains nearly 86 billion neurons, constantly exchanging messages like an immense social media network, but neurons do not work alone – glial cells, neurotransmitters, receptors, and other molecules form a vast [...]
Oxford study reveals how COVID-19 vaccines prevent severe illness
A landmark study by scientists at the University of Oxford, has unveiled crucial insights into the way that COVID-19 vaccines mitigate severe illness in those who have been vaccinated. Despite the global success of [...]
Annual blood test could detect cancer earlier and save lives
A single blood test, designed to pick up chemical signals indicative of the presence of many different types of cancer, could potentially thwart progression to advanced disease while the malignancy is still at an early [...]
How the FDA opens the door to risky chemicals in America’s food supply
Lining the shelves of American supermarkets are food products with chemicals linked to health concerns. To a great extent, the FDA allows food companies to determine for themselves whether their ingredients and additives are [...]
Superbug crisis could get worse, killing nearly 40 million people by 2050
The number of lives lost around the world due to infections that are resistant to the medications intended to treat them could increase nearly 70% by 2050, a new study projects, further showing the [...]
How Can Nanomaterials Be Programmed for Different Applications?
Nanomaterials are no longer just small—they are becoming smart. Across fields like medicine, electronics, energy, and materials science, researchers are now programming nanomaterials to behave in intentional, responsive ways. These advanced materials are designed [...]
Microplastics Are Invading Our Arteries, and It Could Be Increasing Your Risk of Stroke
Higher levels of micronanoplastics were found in carotid artery plaque, especially in people with stroke symptoms, suggesting a potential new risk factor. People with plaque buildup in the arteries of their neck have been [...]
Gene-editing therapy shows early success in fighting advanced gastrointestinal cancers
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have completed a first-in-human clinical trial testing a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technique to help the immune system fight advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The results, recently published in The Lancet Oncology, show encouraging [...]
Engineered extracellular vesicles facilitate delivery of advanced medicines
Graphic abstract of the development of VEDIC and VFIC systems for high efficiency intracellular protein delivery in vitro and in vivo. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59377-y. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59377-y Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a technique [...]
Brain-computer interface allows paralyzed users to customize their sense of touch
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists are one step closer to developing a brain-computer interface, or BCI, that allows people with tetraplegia to restore their lost sense of touch. While exploring a digitally [...]
Scientists Flip a Gut Virus “Kill Switch” – Expose a Hidden Threat in Antibiotic Treatment
Scientists have long known that bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, live in our gut, but exactly what they do has remained elusive. Researchers developed a clever mouse model that can temporarily eliminate these phages [...]
Enhanced Antibacterial Polylactic Acid-Curcumin Nanofibers for Wound Dressing
Background Wound healing is a complex physiological process that can be compromised by infection and impaired tissue regeneration. Conventional dressings, typically made from natural fibers such as cotton or linen, offer limited functionality. Nanofiber [...]
Global Nanomaterial Regulation: A Country-by-Country Comparison
Nanomaterials are materials with at least one dimension smaller than 100 nanometres (about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair). Because of their tiny size, they have unique properties that can be useful in [...]
Pandemic Potential: Scientists Discover 3 Hotspots of Deadly Emerging Disease in the US
Virginia Tech researchers discovered six new rodent carriers of hantavirus and identified U.S. hotspots, highlighting the virus’s adaptability and the impact of climate and ecology on its spread. Hantavirus recently drew public attention following reports [...]
Studies detail high rates of long COVID among healthcare, dental workers
Researchers have estimated approximately 8% of Americas have ever experienced long COVID, or lasting symptoms, following an acute COVID-19 infection. Now two recent international studies suggest that the percentage is much higher among healthcare workers [...]
Melting Arctic Ice May Unleash Ancient Deadly Diseases, Scientists Warn
Melting Arctic ice increases human and animal interactions, raising the risk of infectious disease spread. Researchers urge early intervention and surveillance. Climate change is opening new pathways for the spread of infectious diseases such [...]
