Navigating a Changing Regulatory Landscape in the Industrial Lubricants Industry

EALs

A round the world, the industrial lubricants market is seeking new ways to provide better protection for the environment. Whether it is via incorrect disposal, spillage or machine seepage, significant volumes of fluids are leaked into the environment each year—and mitigating the impact of such spills is increasingly critical.

Greater awareness at all levels about environmental protection has been paired with new regulatory and labeling stringency that demands fluids improve their biodegradability and other ecological traits. So, there is a good reason for all lubricant manufacturers to improve the eco-friendliness of their products. Let’s explore how the convergence of global trends has created challenges for lubricant manufacturers—and new opportunities.

Stringency Is Increasing

The lubricants industry has experienced increasing stringency across numerous eco-friendly labels and standards in recent years, which have spurred significant growth potential for environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs). EALs, as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are fluid formulations that meet certain standards for biodegradability, non-bioaccumulative potential and minimal toxicity to aquatic life compared to conventional lubricants. According to research from Kline & Company, demand for biolubricant products is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% in the coming years.

A few of the most notable labels contributing to EAL growth potential include:

The European (EU) EcoLabel. This widely recognized label certifies products that demonstrate independently verified low environmental impact. The EcoLabel sets limits on how many hazardous ingredients can be included in final formulations. It also evaluates how biodegradable the finished fluid is, and whether it contains components that are persistent and bioaccumulative.

Blue Angel. Blue Angel is the German Ecolabel. Like the EU EcoLabel, it also certifies environmentally friendly products, and is comparable in stringency. However, Blue Angel places a few additional requirements on how to properly dispose of labeled formulations, placing a greater emphasis on cradle-to-grave environmental friendliness.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Vessel General Permit (VGP). This standard will soon be replaced with the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA). VIDA will establish a new framework for the discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel under a new Clean Water Act.

How to Define Environmental Friendliness

As EAL demand increases, it can be useful to define how they live within the broader backdrop of sustainability concerns.

There are effective methodologies to establish a lubricant’s baseline sustainability. One of them is to evaluate the formulation’s comprehensive effect on the environment throughout the entirety of its life cycle. This approach evaluates the product’s impact while in use; the steps taken and resources used in the product’s creation; and how the product can and will be disposed of. Making these calculations is known as a life cycle analysis, which helps to grant a fuller picture of a product’s overall impact.

The life cycle analysis framework helps us better understand and establish an industrial lubricant’s environmental impact. For example, EALs are held to explicit standards:

• They must be biodegradable, meaning that they can be decomposed by microorganisms over time into simpler by-products, carbon dioxide and water.

• They must be minimally toxic to aquatic organisms according to tests defined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and EPA test guidelines.

• They must have minimal bioaccumulative potential, meaning that they do not cause chemical build up within the tissues of an organism over time.

Because they must—by definition— maintain these properties, EALs are fundamentally differentiated from other formulation types that have gained popularity due to sustainability concerns. Take bio-based lubricants as an example. Such formulations are frequently made from natural oils, avoiding the use of petroleum-based oils in their formulations. And while petroleum avoidance is an effective sustainability strategy, bio-lubricants are not necessarily held to explicit criteria for biodegradability, toxicity and bioaccumulation. This means a bio lubricant may still incorporate non-biodegradable additive components.

These are important distinctions to make when it comes to minimizing the environmental impact of industrial lubricants. Even during intended use, significant quantities may escape into the environment. For example, in the case of hydraulic fluids that span across agriculture, forestry and the building industry, uncontrolled leakages and defects can occur. This illustrates that the final part of any industrial fluid’s life cycle may very well occur within the natural environment—making their capacity to minimize harm to delicate ecosystems critical.

Performance Cannot Be Compromised

While EALs must be formulated to maintain environmental friendliness, it is critical that they also retain their fundamental ability to protect industrial equipment. But maintaining those performance characteristics can be a true formulation challenge for EALs.

Why? Because many reliable classes of additive chemistries used in traditional lubricants do not meet EAL requirements for biodegradability, toxicity and bioaccumulative potential. Zinc dialkyl dithiophosphates (ZDDPs), for example, make up one of the most widely used chemical classes for reliable wear protection. However, ZDDPs do not meet EAL biodegradability standards, necessitating an alternative.

These same restrictions impact a broad range of critical additives, including extreme pressure additives, emulsifiers, viscosity modifiers, antifoam agents, corrosion and rust inhibitors, friction modifiers and more. Furthermore, EAL standards restrict the use of traditional mineral oils due to their biodegradability and toxicity characteristics. Synthetic base oil formulations from Groups IV (polyalphaolefins) and V (for example, esters) are therefore required in EAL formulations.

Even with these challenging standards in place, developing high-performing EALs is possible—and can be done in collaboration with the right additives supplier. Lubrizol is committed to helping industrial fluids manufacturers find success with its broad portfolio of new EAL solutions for numerous critical industrial applications.

Demand for EALs will continue to rise in an evolving market where environmental protection is a growing concern. Industrial lubricant manufacturers who are proactive in their formulation approaches can find early success and separate themselves from the competition. .

About the Author Martin Birze is currently the director of Industrial Products for The Lubrizol Corporation. Over his 35 years at Lubrizol, he has held several sales, business and management roles. After earning an honors B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) he started his career in 1981 at Shell Canada as a research chemist. Born and raised in Montreal, he currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife.

While EALs must be formulated to maintain environmental friendliness, it is critical that they also retain their fundamental ability to protect industrial equipment.

JUNE 2023 | LUBEZINE MAGAZINE 23