CNPC’s lubricant brand Kunlun Lubricants is leading an effort to propose a new ISO standard regarding the impacts of temperature on lubricants’ tribological properties. The proposal was approved for inclusion in the ISO standards development plan. The standard would fill the international gap in the lubricant industry upon formal release.
BRB Lube Oil Additives & Chemicals, a subsidiary of Petronas Chemicals Group, launched the Viscotech LR series, a low-carbon viscosity modifiers made with rerefined base oils instead of virgin oils. This innovation cuts the product’s cradle-to-gate carbon footprint by 60% while maintaining equivalent performance, offering a direct, drop-in replacement for standard viscosity modifiers in automotive and industrial lubricants, the company claims. By using rerefined base oils, customers can reduce CO₂ emissions by about 0.1 kilogram per kilogram of lubricant, supporting Scope 3 emission reduction and circular economy goals.
Taiyo Oil Co. and Mitsui Chemicals are exploring a collaboration to expand the supply of chemically recycled products and advance a circular economy. Taiyo Oil, which earned ISCC PLUS certification for its Shikoku refinery in Imabari, is building facilities to process pyrolysis oil from plastic waste for integration into its refinery operations. Mitsui Chemicals, which began using bio-based hydrocarbons at its Osaka cracker in 2021 and producing chemically recycled plastics in 2024 with pyrolysis oil from CFP Corporation, applies the mass balance method across more than 40 products as part of its decarbonization strategy. Under the proposed partnership, Taiyo Oil’s Shikoku Operations would process the heavier fraction of pyrolysis oil, supplying recycled naphtha, propylene and other materials to Mitsui Chemicals. The companies will also explore new waste plastic and bio-based feedstocks, highlighting their shared goal of building a sustainable and regenerative materials cycle.