Going Out With a Blast
Welcome to the final edition of 2018, and what a year that was. The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, the biggest lube market in the Middle East – but exempted two of its major customers, India and Turkey. In Turkey, the economy suffered a spectacular currency collapse that has left lube companies wondering how theyll pay off foreign-currency denominated debts. And there were the mid-term congressional elections in the United States, which could halt the reversal of environmental policies affecting this industry. Thats aside from the wealth of day-to-day industry goings-on that LubesnGreases has reported across its various platforms.
Speaking of which, we hope you are enjoying LubesnGreases new Perspective on Electric Vehicles quarterly and yearly reports. New subscriptions are available at www.LubesnGreases.com/electric-vehicles.
Inside this edition, our technical reporter takes a look at alternatives to lithium thickeners for grease, as this desirable metal is snapped up by electric vehicle battery manufacturers. We also get into some intense tribology and additives chemistry.
We close out the year with a short story about a South African agriculture and mining chemicals company that uses waste oil to make explosives. Im not sure what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change would make of that in its startling 2018 report, but its recycling of a kind. Right?
Happy holidays!
– Simon Johns
Simon@LubesnGreases.com