SK Lubricants and South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy signed a memorandum of understanding last week to recycle waste lubricants into base oils. The program, which would also involve other companies, aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by turning used oils back into a raw material for lubricants rather than burning them as a source of energy.

Chinese lubricants blender Qingdao Copton Tech Co. reported decreases in the 40% range for its net profit and operating income for the first quarter. Sales of lubricants fell by more than 40%, while industrial lubricant sales decreased 3%.

Thailand’s National Energy Technology Center is heading a consortium working to develop biobased transformer oils formulated with palm oil as part of the country's efforts to find higher value applications for its palm oil beyond its use as edible oils or biodiesel.