Lubricants Major contaminants

Contamination of oil by water or coolant can cause major problems in a lubricating system. Many of the additives now used in formulating lubricants contain the same elements that are used in coolant additives. Therefore, the laboratory must have an accurate analysis of new oil for comparison. 

Release of gasoline, lubricating oil, and fuel oils to the soil occurs from spills, leaks, loading and unloading operations. Disposal of petroleum-contaminated soil is now one of the major environmental tasks. 

A major incident of TOCP poisoning affected 10,000 people in Morocco in 1959. The victims had eaten food cooked in olive oil adulterated with TOCP-contaminated lubricating oil. A number of cases of permanent paralysis resulted from ingestion of the contaminated cooking oil. 

LDPE and PTFE are manufactured by processes involving little contact with metals, and should not be a major source of aluminum. On the other hand, HDPE and PP have similar manufacturing processes, based on catalysis, that involve aluminum, among other metals. The contamination risk may therefore be very high. In addition, the manufacture of the container itself can lead to aluminum contamination, considering the use of lubricants, stabilizers and other additives. For example, metal soaps, such as aluminum, magnesium, sodium, and tin, were sanctioned by the FDA to be used as stabilizers in plastic containers for parenteral nutrition solutions [76]. 

A disadvantage of tandem seals is that they cannot safely be operated without process fluid because the seal on the process fluid side may run dry. Also, the springs and other internal seal mechanisms on the fluid side run in the process fluid, which may not be good in highly corrosive fluid. The big advantage of tandem seals is that they allow process fluid to be pumped without contamination from lubricating oil, and the chances for major loss of process fluid are small. 

A major advantage of solid lubricants is their very low tendency to cause contamination of industrial products such as foods, pharmaceuticals and textiles. Many of them, including PTFE, graphite and molybdenum disulphide, are also virtually... 

Exposure to hydraulic fluids occurs mainly in workers using hydraulic equipment and in maintenance workers on cars, tractors, airplanes, or similar equipment. The components of hydraulic fluids are in other lubricant products as well so exposure is not limited to hydraulic fluids. However, exposure is primarily to the major components (i.e., mineral oil, PAO, or organophosphate ester). Exposures would result from contact with the skin or inhalation of oil mist. In rare instances, oral exposure could occur by accident or eating contaminated food. 

The majority of insolubles are derived from the combustion products of the fuel and lubricant. Insolubles can also contain spent additives from the lubricant, e.g. calcium sulphate, and general debris such as rust, wear metals and contaminants from water ingress and air intakes. 

Due to the variety of potential sources of used lubricants, their differing histories of service use and their subsequent levels of possible contaminants, assessment of the quality of the resulting re-refined base oil is a major concern. Quality assurance must be applied both to the used lubricant feedstock and, more particularly, to the product(s) of the re-refining process. Limits to the concentration of various contaminants in the finished base oil must be set and strictly adhered to. 

T he successful use of platinum monolithic oxidation catalysts to control automobile emissions over many thousands of miles requires an intimate understanding of the many factors which contribute to catalyst degradation. Contamination of the active catalyst by lead and phosphorus compounds present in fuel and lubricating oil is a major factor in catalyst deterioration. 

Equipment that is technically suitable, well sited (so as not to interfere with other operations) easy to clean and well maintained has a major role in ensuring the maintenance of good product standards. Such equipment will ensure that contamination from foreign material such as rust lubricants and abraded particles or foreign ingredients will be minimal. 

For each manufacturing operation, there will be equipment either fixed or mobile to be used in the process. Sometimes the equipment may be placed outside of the building itself. Equipment can be either closed (preferable) or open. If the equipment is not closed, there must be special attention to prevent contamination of the product. In either case, the equipment must be constructed of the right materials to assure that it can be easily cleaned and maintained. It must protect the product it is manufacturing and not affect the quality of the product. Identification of the equipment (and processing lines) is necessary to assure traceability of the product to the equipment used. Not all equipment will need to be identified each facility must define which pieces of equipment are considered major in their own manufacturing processes. The use of lubricants or other manufacturing aides is often necessary, however, when used, these materials must not contact the API or alter the quality of the API. 

Agriculture has been fortunate to be relatively free of mass outbreaks of OPIDN. The major chemical offender has been the plasticizer and lubricant trl-ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP). Contamination of various products with TOCP has paralyzed thousands of people since the turn of the century ( ). OPs in use In agriculture that have been shown to be neuropathic Include the cotton defoliant DEF and the pesticides EPN, haloxon and leptophos (not registered In the US). Neuropathic OPs used experimentally Include DFP and mlpafox one nerve gas (sarin) has been shown to cause OPIDN and there Is evidence another (soman) Is also a delayed neuropathic agent ( ). Recently, Wilson et al. ( ) found that isofenphos (IFF) caused OPIDN In hens. 

The effect of mdk residues on the quahty of recycled HDPE from used milk bottles has been studied. It was formd that the major component of the rancid milk was but3rric acid which can diffuse into the walls of HDPE bottles. Other studies have shown that but3rric acid contamination in recycled HDPE can lower its tensile strength and mechanical properties due to an internal plasticization/lubrication effect. ... 

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