Although the shift to manufacturing of electric vehicles will bring a decline in industrial lubricants consumption, it will also bring opportunities for the fluids from the manufacturing of battery casings and electric motor housings, along with the increased demand for copper wire, a consultant said during an American Chemical Society online webinar last week.

Base oil production in Brazil dropped 4% during the third quarter, compared to the same period of 2021, as the nation’s output and use of base oils continued running slightly behind last year’s pace. The country produced 136,000 metric tons of base oil from July through September, according to data posted recently by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, down from 141,000 tons in the third quarter of last year.

Clean Harbors’ Safety-Kleen segment continued its run of rising revenues with another strong quarter for the quarter ending Sept. 30, while Vertex Energy Inc. reported in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing a 36% increase in gross profit and increased sales for its Heartland rerefinery business. Vertex also revealed it is exploring a potential sale of the Heartland business.