Hundreds of lubricants stand to be dropped in three months from the world’s most widely recognized registry of food-grade products as NSF International, the organization maintaining the list, phases out products authorized at least five years ago by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And some sources say the industry may be ready for an even bigger change — creation of a certification program that would audit manufacturing plants and test samples taken randomly from the market. The ...

Three years after it was created to commercialize lubricants made from soybean oil, Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing Inc. has moved out of its quarters at a University of Northern Iowa laboratory and into its own manufacturing facility in Plainfield, Iowa. Officials said the company needed to move because its products have begun to penetrate the market. In fact, they said, the company is growing so fast it could turn a profit by next summer. We didnt do much [in terms of production] the fi...

Ergon Refining Inc. announced Tuesday that it has entered into voluntary agreements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies to reduce emission of air pollutants at its base oil and fuels refineries in Vicksburg, Miss., and Newell, W.Va. The company said it will invest a total of $8 million during the next five years to install enhanced control equipment. It emphasized that the agreements did not result from any investigation by regulators, although the company will pay a...

Two courts have approved the merger of Chemoleums Ltd. into Caltex Lubricants India Ltd., clearing the way for a deal that enlarges Caltexs footprint on the Indian subcontinent. The acquisition by Caltex was completed Aug. 30 after approval by the High Courts of Judicature of Kolkata and Chennai. The companies did not disclose terms of the deal, which was announced in March. Caltex Lubricants India and Chemoleums have had a relationship since 2001, when the companies formed a joint venture. A Ca...