Some Vegetable Oil-Based Additives for Petroleum Industry: A Review of Sunflower, Rapeseed and Used Cooking Oil-Derived Surfactants

The increasing environmental concerns associated with conventional petroleum-based additives—such as high toxicity, poor biodegradability, and long-term ecological persistence—have driven the development of more sustainable alternatives. This review focuses on the synthesis and industrial relevance of bio-based green gemini surfactants and sulphurized vegetable oil-derived extreme pressure (EP) additives, especially those prepared from sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, and used cooking oil. These compounds offer advantages including lower environmental impact, high thermal stability, and effective lubrication or interfacial properties in petroleum-related applications. The paper summarizes recent advances in the field, outlines key mechanisms, and explores their potential in enhanced oil recovery, metalworking, and lubrication. By compiling and evaluating current literature, the work contributes to identifying environmentally friendly and industrially viable bio-additive candidates.