Castor oil is used in some lubrication applications and is derived from castor beans; while coconut oil and palm oil, both lauric oils, can be used for high-temperature applications and have been tested in engine lubricants; Jatropha oil is a non-edible oil that can be used as a lubricant and biodiesel.
Even waste cooking oil can be used as a lubricant, particularly in metalworking fluids, but may require filtering and processing.
High oleic varieties of canola oil, rapeseed, sunflower and soybean are most common vegetable base oils used for production of biodegradable lubricants and greases.
Biodegradable Synthetic Esters
A biodegradable synthetic ester base oil is a man-made lubricant that breaks down quickly into environmentally harmless components, such as water and carbon dioxide, when exposed to microorganisms [8].
Biodegradable synthetic esters offer high performance, including excellent thermal and oxidative stability, which leads to longer equipment life, reduced maintenance, and lower operating costs. They provide superior lubricity and are suitable for high-temperature and environmentally sensitive applications. These esters can be “tuned” for specific applications, allowing for high performance across a range of properties like low-temperature behavior, high viscosity, and low volatility.
In 2024 bio-lubricants market size was valued at USD 2.41 Billion, while it was projected to reach USD 4.90 Billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 4.60% from 2024 to 2031.
Certification systems for biodegradable lubricants
At the moment there are no certification systems regarding biodegradable base oils, expect biodegradable tests which were mentioned before in the text.
On other hand there are certification systems for biodegradable lubricants which use biodegradable base oil in there formulation. Most famous certification systems are Ecolabel certification system, Blue Angle certification system and Nordic Swan certification system.
Figure 5: Examples of certification systems for biodegradable lubricants
Conclusion Global market of biodegradable
base oils and biodegradable lubricants has increased very much in past few years. One of the main market drivers for global biodegradable lubricants and global biodegradable base oils are: increasing environmental awareness, environmental regulations, renewable and sustainable sources and growth usage in the automotive and industrial sectors. As mentioned, biodegradable lubricants have gone a long way but there is still much to do regarding high production costs, limited raw material availability, market awareness and acceptance and regulatory and certification barriers.
Regarding biodegradable base oils in the future with growth in world population it can be expected that land used for production of vegetable biodegradable oil will have to switch to production of vegetable oil needed for production of food oil. This would mean that the main focus regarding production of biodegradable base oil will be to increase production of vegetable oil per hectare, and decrease in cost of production for biodegradable synthetic esters.
Figure 4: Global Bio-Lubricants Market (courtesy, Verified Market Research,
https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/bio-lubricants-market/)
sowasol.com
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.191 FEBRUARY 2026
21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
