Volume 5 Issue 28

Researchers Glean Base Oil from Plastic

The lubricants industry is used to the idea of recycling used oil to make base oil. But making base oils from plastics? A team of researchers from Chevron Corp. and the University of Kentucky claim to have developed a way to turn waste plastic into base oils of extremely high quality. One researcher said logistics will be the primary challenge to commercialization. Chevrons lead researcher on the project was Stephen J. Miller, the patent holder for the companys Isodewaxing wax isomerization tech...

Feds Closer to Buying Biobased Lubes

How much plant or animal oil will it take to comply with a U.S. law aimed at spurring demand for biobased lubricants and other products? Perhaps as little as 29 percent for mobile hydraulic fluids. Maybe as much as 71 percent for penetrating lubricants. Those two categories of lubricants were among the first group of products designated by the Department of Agriculture last week to fall under the Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program. Content levels are still being defined, but...

Ukraine: Big Lube Appetite, Meager Output

With annual demand of more than 400,000 metric tons, Ukraine is easily the second-largest lubricant market in Eastern Europe, ranking only behind Russia. It produces very little of that volume, however – less than half in 2003. Domestic production took a big step forward last year, according to a recently published study by a Ukrainian consulting firm. But the firm, Kiev-based Lubricants Marketing Studio, predicts the trend will not endure. The biggest obstacle is lack of base oil availabi...

Grease Industry Gets Its Own Credential

Greases constitute a small and sometimes neglected corner of the lubricants industry. But that corner is not too small, apparently, to warrant a means of identifying individuals who know their way around it. NLGI International (formerly the National Lubricating Grease Institute) recently adopted a certification program aimed at identifying professionals with expertise in the industry. The program includes an exam and offers the credential Certified Lubricating Grease Specialist. Professional cer...