The competitiveness of the biodiesel industry and the evolution of its positive socio-environmental externalities may be achieved by adding value to oleochemical by-products to be produced in an integrated way with the production of biodiesel. The development of bio-based lubricants, a substitute for mineral lubricating oils, has emerged as a promising alternative for adding value to vegetable oils, and consequently to biodiesel. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of biolubricant production using biodiesel as a feedstream, employing epoxidation and oxirane ring opening reactions with 2-ethylhexanol (BL1) and water (BL2) as nucleophilic agents. Industrial processes were proposed and simulated for two scenarios, considering all steps for production of BL1 (26.6 cSt at 40 °C and pour point of − 12 °C) and BL2 (99.6 cSt at 40 °C and pour point of − 3 °C). The biolubricant production showed promising profitability, as its minimum selling price (MSP) remained consistently below USD 3000/ton, significantly lower than the average price of mineral lubricants (USD 6000/ton). Both scenarios exhibited minimal variation in the MSP of biolubricants (< 2%). The estimated high internal rates of return (24.5% for scenario 1 and 18.6% for scenario 2) highlight the potential profitability of this technological route, even under very conservative perspectives. A technical–economic analysis of an integrated biodiesel and biolubricant production system demonstrated significant synergies during the installation and operational stages, resulting in 21% Capex savings when retrofitting an existing biodiesel plant for biolubricant co-production. Notably, for various combinations of biolubricant prices above USD 3000/ton, the MSP of biodiesel became lower than the specified price of mineral diesel. These findings indicate the potential of integrating biolubricant and biodiesel production as a strategic approach to enhance the biodiesel competitiveness and maximize its positive externalities on society, economy, and environment.

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