Indian studies confirm coconut oil is a good lubricant for small engines

In October 2010, an auto-rickshaw driver named G. Rajeevan was honored by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, in Kasaragod, India, for his pioneering work in the use of coconut oil as a lubricant for small engines.
Rajeevan had been using coconut oil as lubricant for 13 years and had been marketing his own lubricant made of processed coconut oil under the label Amruth Lub. Sometime later, Rajeevan sent a report of his findings on the use of coconut oil as a lubricant to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who directed the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) to determine the veracity of the claim.
In turn, KSCSTE referred the matter to the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) in Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala, India. KAU has reportedly validated the claims made by Rajeevan regarding the properties of coconut oil which make it an effective lubricant.
In a letter to KSCSTE, the dean of the university said that their studies confirmed the statements made by Rajeevan, and that as an alternate lubricant for small engines, coconut oil was found to perform satisfactorily, and had no adverse effects on engine parts or in the performance of petrol engines.
“We are of the opinion that coconut oil can be used as an alternative to commercial petroleum lubricants in internal combustion petrol engines,” the dean said in his letter. Rajeevan said that compared to conventional lubricants which are costly, coconut oil is cheaper and reduces emissions and could thus be an economically viable substitute to imported lubricants. (June 7, 2012)