China in Strong Pursuit of Biodegradables

Few weeks ago, we introduced the emergence and sustainability of the Bio-Lubricant. It is safe to say that Bio-Lubricant is the future of the Lubricant industry. With its harmless environmental pollution consequences, it has been a fancy of many countries, with China gradually advancing this frontier, closing tailing its European counterparts.

Looking at any random engine lubricant company in China, be it a foreign brand or domestic, you'll see that "green" or "Eco-friendly" is frequently used to give the product a competitive edge.

But what exactly does "green" mean? According to the labels, it means the Lubricant is blended using highly refined API Group III base oils or synthetic base stocks that promises to reduce the vehicle's tailpipe emissions. Now, another concept - biodegradability- wants to be part of the picture.

In June, at a U.S. - China low-carbon summit in Beijing, Danfer Lubricants introduced its bio-synthetic engine oil collection, made from ester base oils derived from castor oil. The Yongskang, Zhejiang province-based lube supplier said the oils have stable performance down to  -50 degrees Celsius. The products including SAE 0W-i0 and 5W-40 grades claiming API SM performance and a CH-i-type 10W-50 diesel oil - are marked as fuel efficient and able to run 20,000 km without changes.

"These engine oils are the results of years of research and experiments," said Cui Xiaoying, vice director at Nankai University's engineering research centre for castor oil in Tianjin, which developed Danfer's bio-synthetic technologies.

Series of researches have been done with positive yield in Synacol having a collection of castor oil based gear oils and industrial lubes. Despite the fact that the lubes are bio-degrable and fuel efficient, sales are not climbing fast. "Biodegradable is a very new concept for the Chinese consumers, as price as been the primary factor for a consumer's buying decision", said Dr. Cui. She further added that bio-synthetic lubes are in general 15 percent more expensive than the conventional products produced from mineral oils.

However, similar Beijing-based Run Hua Yun Tian Biological Technological Co.,which launched its own engine oil line, "Yuan Tian No. 1" earlier in March. Yuan Tian No. 1 has ever since gone head-on with fellow mineral oil producers, sending out her products for comparison tests.

For example, while the Helix formulation (Mineral) has a Viscosity Index of 168, No.1 scores 179; HXS8's flash point is 215 degrees Celsius, and No.1 reaches 239. In a rare move for a Chinese private Lubricant company, RHYT actually sent its No.1 series out for testing against the API standard - and posted the results on its website.
This is a gradually building proof that BIO-LUBRICANTS  have a lot more potential and benefits to the Lubricant industry, as more Firms are beginning to unravel the yet unseen mysteries of this sector.

AFRICA: 

The market is bright and the Horizon is clear, though it may take long before we eventually wake up to this clarion call, yet we as LUBESTODAY will not relent to see to it that we do it a lot faster as a Continent.

For help on the Lubricant terminologies whose meaning were not clear to you, kindly visit our earlier post >>>>>Top Lubricants Terminologies that you should know

Source: LubesReport