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Tribology meets sustainability

Raj Shah (Koehler Instrument Company, New York, New York, USA)
Mathias Woydt (MATRILUB, Berlin, Germany)
Nabill Huq (Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA)
Andreas Rosenkranz (Department of Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology and Materials, FCFM, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile)

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

ISSN: 0036-8792

Article publication date: 23 December 2020

Issue publication date: 14 May 2021

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a comprehensive perspective on how tribology and sustainability are related and intertwined and are linked to CO2 emissions. This paper emphasizes on how tribological aspects affect everybody’s life and how tribological research and progress can improve energy efficiency, sustainability and quality of life.

Design/methodology/approach

Based upon available data and predictions for the next 50 years, the potential of tribological research and development is addressed.

Findings

The effects of tribological design can significantly increase energy savings and reduce CO2 emissions. Taking advantage of tribological technologies and applying them to current infrastructure would have the largest energy savings coming from the transportation and power generation at 25% and 20%, respectively. Implementing these technologies can also cut down global CO2 emissions by about 1,460 megatons of CO2 per year in the immediate future and 3,140 megatons of CO2 per year in the long term. The extraction and processing of resources inevitably generates CO2. Doubling the lifetime of machine components and the use of circular economy reduces the material footprint with associated reductions in CO2.

Originality/value

This perspective summarizes concisely the interrelation of tribology and sustainability with CO2.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-09-2020-0356/

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Andreas Rosenkranz gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by ANID-CONICYT within the project Fondecyt 11180121 as well as the VID of the University of Chile in the framework of “U-Inicia UI013/2018”.

Funding: This work was supported by CONICYT within the project Fondecyt 11180121 as well as the VID of the University of Chile in the framework of “U-Inicia UI013/2018”.

Citation

Shah, R., Woydt, M., Huq, N. and Rosenkranz, A. (2021), "Tribology meets sustainability", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 73 No. 3, pp. 430-435. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-09-2020-0356

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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