I read with interest your article in the March issue of the LubesnGreases magazine, Biobased Lubes Outgrow the Rest. Thank you for providing exposure to biobased products.

The article included some generally accurate statistical information, although mostly from the Kline report. But, it also presented some old and common perceptions about biobased lubricants that are outdated and not necessarily correct. The notion that biobased products lack performance or are expensive may still apply to automotive-related lubricants. But in the industrial lubricants and greases applications, performance and price are no longer issues.

For example, innovations that have brought positive changes to biobased greases include the use of microwaves for processing. It reduces exposure time of the vegetable oil to high temperatures, a major factor impacting oxidation properties of the grease. The accurate temperature control results in products that meet NLGIs highest performance ratings, including GC-LB, eliminating the performance barrier. At the same time, these greases are priced the same as mineral oil based greases, and in the case of rail curve greases, their prices are lower than their mineral grease counterparts.

The use of genetically enhanced vegetable oils, enhanced antioxidant packages and innovative processing have brought about significant changes to biobased lubricants. Unfortunately, the old perceptions persist.We wish your report had included the new developments, also.

I look forward to reading more biobased articles in your magazine in the future.

Dr. Lou A. Honary

Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing, Inc.

Grundy Center, Iowa

Boot Backwards Compatibility

Bravo on the Auto column in the March 2018 issue (Engine Tests Come Under Scrutiny)! I fully endorse the idea of abandoning the backwards compatibility concept. The limitations imposed on the development of formulas specific to modern engines, such as a turbo­charged direct injection engines, places an undue and unproductive burden on products intended to provide value for the end user.

What would be more valuable for the end user are oils tailored to meet the needs of older engines and oils tailored to meet the needs of modern engines. That would free up formulators and oil marketers to make the best use of the technologies available to them to make high-value products for each market-older vehicles and modern vehicles.

If you look at the diesel API categories, this just happened with API CK-4 and FA-4, so shouldnt it be time to do the same on the gasoline side?

Lake Speed, Jr.

Driven Racing Oil

Olive Branch, Mississippi