Grease composition

1. A biodegradable grease composition comprising the reaction product of a dispersion of metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates with at least one hydroxystearic acid in at least one vegetable oil, the dispersion comprising an organic medium and the metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates dispersed in the organic medium, the dispersion having a water content of up to about 0.5% by weight, the particulates having a mean particle size in the range up to about 15 microns, the reaction product having a grease consistency; and

wherein the reaction product is prepared by mixing the dispersion, the at least one hydroxystearic acid, and the at least one vegetable oil;

wherein the metal of the metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates comprises lithium;

wherein the concentration of the metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates in the dispersion is from 10% to about 62% by weight;

wherein the vegetable oil is present in the grease from 80 to 90 percent by weight; wherein the dispersion is present in the reaction mixture from 1 to 10 percent by weight; wherein the hydroxystearic acid is present in the reaction mixture from 5 to 25 percent by weight; and

wherein the resulting soap content in the grease is from 4 to 35 percent by weight.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the metal further comprises sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, barium, aluminum, or a mixture thereof.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the metal oxide and/or hydroxide comprises lithium oxide.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the organic medium comprises at least one dispersion oil and at least one surfactant.

5. The composition of claim 4 wherein the dispersion oil comprises natural oil, synthetic oil, or a mixture thereof.

6. The composition of claim 4 wherein the dispersion oil comprises mineral oil.

7. The composition of claim 4 wherein the dispersion oil comprises one or more polyalphaolefins.

8. The composition of claim 4 wherein the surfactant comprises polyisobutylene substituted succinic acid, polyisobutylene substituted succinic anhydride, a salt thereof, or a mixture thereof.

9. The composition of claim 1 wherein the dispersion comprises from about 1.5 to about 32% by weight metal.

10. The composition of claim 1 wherein the vegetable oil comprises soybean oil.

11. The composition of claim 10 wherein the vegetable oil further comprises at least one glyceride of at least one fatty acid, wherein fatty acid comprises oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

12. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition comprises at least one soap.

13. The composition of claim 1 wherein the reaction mixture further comprises one or more monocarboxylic acids, one or more polycarboxylic acids, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

14. The composition of claim 1 wherein the hydroxystearic acid has from 2 to about 30 carbon atoms.

15. The composition of claim 1 wherein the hydroxystearic acid comprises 12-hydroxystearic acid.

16. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition further comprises one or more metal deactivators, antioxidants, antiwear agents, rust inhibitors, viscosity modifiers, extreme pressure agents, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

17. A process for making grease, comprising:

(A) forming a slurry comprising metal oxide and/or hydroxide solids, water and an organic medium wherein the metal of the metal oxide and/or hydroxide solids comprises lithium;

(B) milling the slurry to form a water-in-oil emulsion comprising metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates;

(C) dehydrating the emulsion to form a dispersion of the metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates in the organic medium; and

(D) mixing the dispersion with a hydroxystearic acid and at least one vegetable oil, forming a reaction mixture, and reacting the metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates with the hydroxystearic acid and the vegetable oil under conditions sufficient to thicken the oil to a grease consistency;

wherein the concentration of the metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates in the dispersion is from 10% to about 62% by weight;

wherein the vegetable oil is present in the grease from 80 to 90 percent by weight; wherein the dispersion is present in the reaction mixture from 1 to 10 percent by weight; wherein the hydroxystearic acid is present in the reaction mixture from 5 to 25 percent by weight; and

wherein the resulting soap content in the grease is from 4 to 35 percent by weight.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein the process further comprises mixing metal oxide and/or hydroxide solids with the dispersion of metal hydroxide particulates formed in (C) to form a dispersion mixture; and milling the dispersion mixture to form a second dispersion comprising metal oxide and/or hydroxide particulates.

19. The composition of claim 1 wherein the organic medium comprises at least one dispersion oil and at least one surfactant wherein the dispersion oil comprises natural oil, synthetic oil, or a mixture thereof and wherein the surfactant comprises polyisobutylene substituted succinic acid, polyisobutylene substituted succinic anhydride, a salt thereof, or a mixture thereof; wherein the animal and/or vegetable oil comprises soybean oil.

20. The process of claim 17 wherein the organic medium comprises at least one dispersion oil and at least one surfactant wherein the dispersion oil comprises natural oil, synthetic oil, or a mixture thereof and wherein the surfactant comprises polyisobutylene substituted succinic acid, polyisobutylene substituted succinic anhydride, a salt thereof, or a mixture thereof; wherein the animal and/or vegetable oil comprises soybean oil.