High Oleic Plant Oils With Hydroxy Fatty Acids for Emission Reduction

Abstract

The lubricating properties of vegetable oil are well known. However, with the advent of petroleum oils, castor oil and other vegetable oils fell out of favor. The quality of petroleum oils has improved significantly in the last few years with the introduction of Group III base oils. However, even Group III oils fall short of the inherent lubricity of vegetable oils. Analogous to advances in petroleum oils, improvement of vegetable oils by genetic modification to obtain high oleic oils has led to better acceptance of these oils as lubricants. Studies have shown significant reduction in tail pipe emissions when using these types of oils in an engine crank case. We have successfully expressed a hydroxylase gene in a high oleic canola variety. The combination of a high oleic background and hydroxy fatty acids produced an oil with properties that improve further on high oleic oils. The presence of the hydroxy group provides improved lubricity. This technology will allow us to create oils with varying hydroxy fatty acid content depending on the application. These applications can range from use in lubricants, as chemical feedstocks, and reactive components in polymers.