Which environmental issues will impact you the most in the next year?
TLT Sounding Board May 2011
When it comes to the development and implementation of eco-friendly lubricants, price vs. performance continues to be a key issue for manufacturers, providers and end-users. Whether real or not, the perception is that eco-friendly products cost more to produce, don’t last as long and have performance issues, particularly in extreme temperatures. “Convincing customers that the cost of being eco-friendly is worth it is an ongoing problem,” said one survey respondent. Other environment-related issues cited by TLT readers include reducing lubricant spills, proper fluid disposal, energy efficiency and complying with increasingly stringent government regulations.
Reducing carbon footprint, particularly the impact of base oil.
The opening of many new doors as it relates to these types of products becoming more widely used and accepted!
As a manufacturer of synthetic ester basestocks, we see the biggest issues as the ongoing need for lubricants that provide less waste, lower friction and improved performance.
I’m in lubricant and coolant sales. No major impact except that many customers are looking for products that have a low environmental footprint and are energy efficient.
Lube oil disposal.
I expect that balancing sustainability and cost will be the most challenging issues to overcome.
The environmental issues that will impact my sales and servicing of lubricant and coolant products in the marketplace are regulation changes on on-highway engines and the coming Tier IV changes on the off-highway/ industrial engine sets.
Oil prices. I’m a metalworking fluids formulation chemist.
Complying with recyclability & REACH requirements.
Waste fluid disposal.
I’m an oil distributor. The biggest issues are spill control, specifically containment at loading docks, customer locations and bulk tank farms.
As a reliability specialist, I see more focus on filtration to reduce oil disposal and increase or extend service of lubricating and hydraulic oil.
In lubricant formulating, more chemicals will be determined to be bad actors, and customers will demand formulations that do not cause them problems in waste treatment and with their employees.
Secondary containment regulations.
Although I’m retired, disposal of used lubricants is an environmental problem.
Oil spills and clean-ups.
The cost of energy and fossil fuel-based lubricants. Environmentalists, upheaval in the Middle East and our government’s unwillingness to commit to a realistic energy policy is crippling our economy.
I am a research chemist working to reduce the energy costs and the carbon footprint of heavy equipment.
Recycling as much waste as possible.
Used-lubricant disposal.
Waste oil reduction.
Using less oil.
We reclaim and purify industrial lubricants and are continually surprised about the general lack of interest in this subject by industrial users.
I’m in lubricants technology. The primary environmental issue remains the reduction or elimination of metal-containing additives in lubricants.
Waste control and disposal oil analysis.
Durable development: human/nature/ environment.
Worker safety and storage of various fluids.
Waste oil regulations and recycled oil.
We have to prepare new MSDS forms in Korea.
My company is an oil lab specializing in condition monitoring of lubricants and coolants. We also perform quality control testing of fuels. The most pressing environmental issues with which we now have to cope with are: (a.) Disposal of oil and fuel samples upon completion of lab tests, (b.)Air quality issues with our exhaust fans and blowers. These will have to be upgraded due to new occupational hazard requirements for even better air quality within the lab and (c.) Water quality issues with our dishwasher and sink. Disposal issues have had the most pronounced impact on our lab in the past, having to account for the proper disposal of all sample material that we received. However, with more stricter occupational hazard requirements, our ventilation system has come of late under scrutiny and will need attention in the foreseen future.
More and more regulations launched to prevent using non-environmental friendly chemicals. Alternatives are needed for us to look for.
Impact of REACH.
I see the transition of the emission norms to European standards as the biggest challenge for the transportation and refining industry.
Reducing emission levels.
I’m a specialty MWF supplier. Environmental issues include: raw material availability of eco-friendly ingredients and substitutes, raw material input costs, commitment of users to environmental initiatives and their willingness to pay.
Restrictions on the presence of Cl-based EP products in MWFs and increasing demand for no biocides in any form, either tankside or in the product.
Disposal of used product. Normally we provide information on how to dispose of them as well as organizations the end-user should contact, specifically the government agency to collect the used product.
New environmental regulations.
Waste oil handling. Currently we have a number of collection stations that are poorly managed and very often overflow with rain water.
As a regulatory specialist for metalworking chemicals, I see many issues that could impact our industry in the next year or so, including VOCs, chloroparaffins and formaldehyde, to mention a few.
Our customers prefer to use vast quantities of mineral lubricants simply because they are cheap compared to synthetic ones. They’d rather buy more mineral lubricants for shorter-term lubricating effect and greater pollution rather than pay for synthetic lubricants that cost more but incur less harm to the environment and consequently our sustainability. We market special lubricants by advising customers on how they can save costs by lubricating wisely.
We’re in MWFs. Our issues include classification and labeling of biocides components and biostatic ingredients (borica acid first), impact on the formulations in terms of final classification and impact on the customer.
Reformulating products to remove components on OEM black/gray lists while still meeting performance specs.
Usage of high sulfur fuels and base oil for making lubricants. Non-biodegradable mineral oil-based lubricants affect air quality and harm aquatic life.
I’m a technical manager for a lube distributor. We have seen an increase in sales of absorbent materials, primarily pads and booms. In my job, I have not seen any changes.
Proper disposition of products that are no longer viable.
Air pollution is a top priority this year because of new federal regulations. New and more efficient dust collectors will have to be installed because nothing has been grandfathered in. This will be a dead expense to the manufacturer, and my greatest fear is that some plants will either be forced to shut down or to relocate out of the U.S.
Customer demands for biodegradable lubricants.
Air quality in the form of emissions. Also, the use of biocides.
Additive ingredients will be changed for REACH regulation. For that reason, there may be production shortages.
The trend is continued interest in sustainability and increased use of lubricants from renewable resources.
The environmental issue that I see having the most impact in the next several years is the effort to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles.
Waste control and reduction.
Effectively disposing of lab reagents used in oil analysis testing labs. Also, getting industrial consumers to adopt lubrication-efficient practices that will extend oil drain and limit dump out of waste lube oils.
I will put a lot of effort on wiser use of chemicals (lubes and MWF included). That will be on fluid selection, process optimization and energy savings, allowing reduced environmental impact.
What importance do you place on emissions/waste reduction in your work role?
A top priority
21%
Among the top priorities
36%
A priority
22%
A minor consideration
21%
Based on responses from 15,000 TLT readers.
What are the biggest challenges affecting manufacturers of eco-friendly lubricants?
Raw materials, cost control and a lack of consumer education/awareness.
Ensuring that quality is not compromised. Getting eco-friendly base oils at a reasonable cost.
Price, price, price. We developed a full line of industrial hydraulic oils and greases and continually found that people would not buy unless the price was close to standard lubricants.
Making a product that can handle the applications and environment without sacrificing performance.
I don’t see any true technical challenges in meeting performance requirements. The challenges are all psychological. People hate change and like to complain.
Proof of equal or superior performance in eco-friendly products.
Providing proven formulations that are cost competitive and functionally equivalent or better while marketing those products against competitors who make marketing claims of ecofriendly while not providing a proven product.
Availability of raw materials.
Keeping a performance and cost balance with eco-friendly products.
Stability against microbial biodegradation.
Performance issues, i.e., gelling of biofuel/lubricants in cold weather.
Certification. I work in aerospace and it is not always possible to do changes in lubrication without going through a certification process for it. It can be costly to certify a new lubricant, so a reluctance to make changes is common.
Quality of recycle material collected.
Cost, performance in certain tests and the customer’s perception of the two.
Market acceptance of increased costs for eco-friendly products.
Getting consumers to believe ecofriendly products are worth the extra cost.
Having confidence in the product’s ability to do the job.
Making lubricants that are as good as normal stuff.
Cost and compatibility with legacy fluids.
Providing lubricants that are stable to oxidation and cost effective.
The REACH regulations being implemented in stages in India.
Eco-friendly lubricants cost more than mineral products and sometimes have lower lubricating effect.
Emissions, new fuels and fuel economy levels.
Understanding that not all items have to be eco-friendly or green.
Overcoming the perception that eco-friendly fluids don’t work, cost factors.
Perceived loss of lubrication performance.
You still require a disposal plan. You cannot simply dispose of even ecofriendly lubricants anywhere. Also, you need an economic or bottom line advantage to justify. I have enough trouble justifying oil sampling on a wear reduction equipment availability basis.
Producing biodegradable lubricants that also have high performance.
Showing and educating customers about these new products and performances.
Raw ingredient supply.
Keeping the performances and controlling formulation costs.
Non-availability of base fluids for making eco-friendly lubricants and the very high cost of these fluids. Difficult to convince the end-user with respect to cost and impact on the environment.
Overcoming fear of eco-friendly lubricants not being the same quality level of mineral oils and also the increased prices.
(A.) Effectiveness—many of the environmentally responsible products don’t do their allotted jobs as well as their traditional equivalent products. (B.) Service life—environmentally responsible products usually have short service life. Needless to say, more frequent oil/fluid changes add many additional maintenance costs beyond the cost of the product itself (including equipment downtime needed for oil changes). (C.) Direct cost—environmentally responsible products are almost always more expensive than their conventional alternatives and often by a large margin. Where legislation does not mandate the use of environmentally responsible products, total cost will be one of the most dominant factors in the choice of the product to be used.
Sourcing limitation and cost issues.
Stability with temperature fluctuations and lack of OEM approvals.
Staying on top of new developments.
Determining if end-users are willing to absorb extra cost and potential performance shortcomings associated with eco-friendly products.
Getting end-users to fully recognize the value as many eco-friendly raw materials cost more.
Educating people to understand the value. People always complaint on the price for this type of product.
Developing eco-friendly lubricants that provide the same lubricity that non-eco-friendly lubricants do.
Recycling alternatives.
Making an eco-friendly coolant that is as effective as its less eco-friendly competitors.
Stability. Eco-friendly lubricants are also bacteria friendly. Biocides defeat the purpose.
The biggest challenge is convincing users that eco-friendly lubricants will meet the application’s performance requirements. Also, I believe users are willing to pay more for an ecofriendly lubricant, but the price must be reasonably comparable to standard lubricants.
Acceptance (is it as good as what it is replacing?) And price.
Base oils and additive technologies are getting complex for production.
While there is a lot of discussion about sustainability, many customers are not willing to pay higher prices for these products.
Not adding chlorinated additives. Using less mineral oil.
The biggest challenge is determining what is truly eco-friendly. Even Al Gore has admitted that growing food to be burned as fuel was a mistake that was politically driven and has caused significant increases in food prices. Since ethanol derived from corn is very likely an overall net energy loss, we have to very carefully analyze what is really eco-friendly before we jump on the bandwagon.
Editor’s Note: Sounding Board is based on an e-mail survey of 7,200 TLT readers. Views expressed are those of the respondents and do not reflect the opinions of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. STLE does not vouch for the technical accuracy of opinions expressed in Sounding Board, nor does inclusion of a comment represent an endorsement of the technology by STLE.