Eco Requirements for Lubricant Additives and Base Stocks

Increasing environmental concerns and rising consumer awareness, especially in the US and Western European markets has been the primary driving force behind the demand for bio-based lubricants. In 2006 the European Parliament agreed on a regulation of the European Union for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The law will affect the petroleum additives, lubricant, and grease industries in Europe. Biolubricants, as more environmentally friendly lubricants, could benefit from REACH legislation. The European Ecolabel (EEL) is a widely accepted label and a number of additives are approved according to its requirements. The choice of suitable surface-active additives like corrosion inhibitors or antiwear (AW) additives is strongly dependent on the properties of the ester like dipole moment, polarity, degree of unsaturation, and so on. Some esters have a lack of hydrolytic stability, the use of antihydrolysis agents might be required, additives which usually are not necessary in mineral oils.