Biobased Motor Oils Are Ready for Primetime

Abstract

T he use of vegetable oils and animal fats for lubrication purposes has been common practice for many years. With the discovery of petroleum and the availability of inexpensive oils as feedstock, plant oil-derived lubricants (much like other bioproducts such as coatings, adhesives, and polymers from renewable resources) became less attractive and were left by the wayside. Attention was diverted to vegetable oils during wartime in the 1940s and the 1970s energy crisis, but these periods were short-lived and not sustained. Over the past two decades or so, a renewed interest in vegetable oil-based lubricants has emerged as environmental concerns and associated standards and regulations have increased. One study estimated that 50% of all lubricants sold globally end up in the environment via total loss application (such as chain saw oils, two stroke engines), spillage, and volatility. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that consumers dump more than 4 million barrels of oil every year when they dispose of used motor oil—an amount similar in magnitude to the spillage of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental regulations and costs associated with cleanup of spills have provided the impetus to find biobased alternatives from renewable resources. Motor oil, which accounts for approximately 4 billion gallons of the oil used worldwide, has been a particularly difficult challenge. Some studies suggest that up to 40% of motor oil is ‘‘lost in use,’’ being leaked on the roadway or burned in the combustion chamber. This oil is, by definition, uncollectable. Reports from California suggest that more than 40% of the pollution in America’s waterways is from used motor oil. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tells us that motor oil is by far the largest source of petroleum in the world’s oceans. Vegetable oils and animal fats have historically been unable to perform in this highly demanding market. Producers of motor oils face continual pressure to deliver improved performance required by today’s high tech engines and ever-increasing fuel economy standards. Vegetable oils have excellent lubricating properties, but they have not been able to compete with petroleum-based motor oils due to thermal issues and oxidative stability. However, significant progress is taking place thanks to the development of new cost-effective technologies. Among the more exciting innovations is a technology developed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reconfigure triglycerides into a much more robust molecule that is able to meet and exceed all of the performance standards required by the American Petroleum Institute for use in motor oils. Growing optimism in the industry points to the likelihood that major oil marketers will be offering products with high biocontent in the very near future.