Additives for environmentally friendly lubricants Over years, industrial oils have been used irresponsibly, where large amounts of lubricants are accidentally spilled or negligently disposed of, posing a major threat to the environment.
From life cycle of biodegradable lubricant which is given below, we can see why many companies are now focusing on the production of environmentally friendly lubricants (biodegradable products).
Additives for environmentally friendly lubricants, are carefully designed to modify the unique viscosity traits and other performance of biodegradable fluids like vegetable- and synthetic-base oils.
Some examples of biodegradable lubricants are chain saw oils, hydraulic fluids, outboard motor oils, saw mill oils and transformer fluids.
As mentioned before, additives consists up to 30% of finished lubricants so for production of biodegradable lubricants new additives for environmentally friendly lubricants should be produced. Main types of additives for environmentally friendly lubricants are given below [13].
Pour point depressants Pour point depressants are performance-boosting additives for environmentally friendly lubricants, whose primary role is to lower the pour point of petroleum products, allowing them to flow at lower temperatures [14].
Viscosity index improvers Viscosity index improvers feature polymers that have influence on getting higher viscosity at higher temperatures and offer minimal influence on lower temperatures. They can be used in formulation of multigrade engine oils, transmission fluids, hydraulic fluids, gear oils and other industrial lubricants. [15].
Defoamer additives
Biobased defoamer additives are antifoaming agents derived from renewable, natural sources. They are used to control or eliminate foam in industrial processes [16].
Antioxidant
Biobased antioxidants are compounds derived from renewable, biological sources like plants, rather than synthetic, petroleum-based sources. They are designed to prolong the life of a lubricant by increasing the oxidative resistance of the base oil. By doing this, antioxidants allow lubricants to operate at higher temperatures [17].
Biobased tackifiers Biobased tackifiers are primarily used to provide adherence in saw-chain and saw-guide oils in environmentally sensitive locations [18]. They are usually made of natural rubber dissolved in vegetable oil.
Some of the main producers of additives for environmentally friendly lubricants are BASF, Lubrizol, Clariant, Evonik, Additiv Chemie Luers and others.
Figure 6: Life cycle of biodegradable lubricant [12]
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LUBE MAGAZINE NO.188 AUGUST 2025
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