Development of Lubricant Grease from Plastic Wastes for Possible Indusrial Application

The increasing accumulation of polyethylene plastic waste poses a significant threat to the environment due to its non-biodegradable nature and widespread use in packaging and consumer products. With global concerns over plastic pollution and the urgent need for sustainable waste management solutions, this research proposes the formulation of lubricant grease from polyethylene waste. This made a low-value polyethylene plastic waste into high-value industrial product (lubricant). This involves subjecting shredded polyethylene waste via pyrolysis, producing low molecular weight hydrocarbon product pyro-wax by thermal decomposition, which was used as thickeners replacing metal soap in a conventional grease where 30% weight pyro-wax give a grease NLGI 4 standard value on consistency test 180mm penetration length. Other parameters analyze includes dropping point 118 oC, Oil separation 0.041%, Oil bleeding 0.013%, percentage sample wash-off 0.26%,Oxidation stability 1kPa after 1000hrs and corrosion free all performed using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard and the result were within accepted limit of the ASTM standard Grease for bearings lubrication. The significance of this work demonstrates that polyethylene waste can be recycled into a functional lubricant product; these outcomes not only contribute to waste valorization efforts but also encourage innovation in the recycling and up-cycling sector, fostering greener production. It also contributes to circular economy efforts by transforming nuisance into useful engineering materials and also promoting a more sustainable industrial future.