Table Of ContentIgnatio Madanhire · Charles Mbohwa
Mitigating
Environmental
Impact of
Petroleum
Lubricants
Mitigating Environmental Impact
of Petroleum Lubricants
Ignatio Madanhire · Charles Mbohwa
Mitigating Environmental
Impact of Petroleum
Lubricants
1 3
Ignatio Madanhire Charles Mbohwa
Department of Engineering Management Faculty of Engineering and the Built
University of Johannesburg Environment
Johannesburg University of Johannesburg
South Africa Johannesburg
South Africa
ISBN 978-3-319-31357-3 ISBN 978-3-319-31358-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31358-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016939921
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
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The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland
We sincerely dedicate this book to our
families and friends. Special mention goes
to colleagues at both the University of
Johannesburg and the University of Zimbabwe
for their support and inspiration. Also to
teams we worked with in the oil industry in
Zimbabwe over the years.
Preface
This work reviews effective environmental impact mitigation for petroleum-based
lubricants to reduce their negative persistence during usage and upon end-of-life
disposal. The book explores the basic tribology of lubricants as well as initiatives
that may enhance the environmental and economic effectiveness of lubricating
oils from the composition design perspective. Reference is made to mineral base
oil processing, blending, application and disposal of petroleum lubricants, and
the book presents and extends current best practices that minimize or eliminate
adverse environmental impact throughout the product’s life cycle. The book also
presents some in-depth insight into base oil/additive substitution, use of biolu-
bricants in total loss application which are biodegradable, consideration of syn-
thetic lubricants to extend drainage interval, use of quality bases in Group III and
Group IV to achieve fuel economy and reduce emissions, rerefining of used oils,
as well as recommending environmentally friendly disposal of used lubricating
oils. Some effort was made to equip readers with technical understanding of
lubricating oils’ chemical and physical properties in terms of their potential
hazardous nature to humans, acquatic species, water bodies and soil properties,
where mitigatory initiatives were equally presented from base oil selection,
additive development especially for total loss use. The book ends with a review
of solid lubricants in severe space operations as the way forward to minimze
environmental impact. Issues highlited are of benefit in terms of achieving both
environmental legal compliance and eco-labelling business competitiveness—all
the while preserving the environment for sustainability. It is in this regard that the
book is therefore of interest to both manufacturers and consumers in the lubricants
industry.
vii
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank our colleagues at the University of Johannesburg in the School
of Engineering Management for sponsoring conference travels for presenting the
papers on related topics which later on inspired the authors to come up with this
book. We are also grateful to Cuthbert Chidamba and Tineyi Mhundwa for the dil-
igent and focused reviewing the material during the manuscript generation. Their
interrogation that was supported by wide experience on the subject matter was just
intense to nourish the progress of material compilation and rearranging.
Thank you all. Ignatio Madanhire
Charles Mbohwa
ix
Contents
1 Introduction ............................................... 1
1.1 Background ......................................... 1
1.2 Mineral Base Oil Processing ............................ 2
1.3 Lubricants Blending ................................... 4
1.4 Lubricants Types and Applications ....................... 5
1.5 Impact on Environment ................................ 8
1.6 Lubricants Handling ................................... 10
1.7 Disposal and Harmful Ingredients ........................ 11
1.8 Biodegradability and Toxicity ........................... 12
1.9 Lubricant Life Cycle .................................. 13
1.10 Conclusion .......................................... 14
References ................................................. 15
2 Lubricant Additive Impacts on Human Health
and the Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1 Introduction ......................................... 17
2.2 Environmental Effects of Used Oil ....................... 18
2.3 Environmental Impacts ................................. 19
2.4 Effect of Used Oil on Soil .............................. 21
2.5 Future Development of Eco-friendly Lubricants ............. 23
2.6 Chemistry of Lubricant Additives and Their Toxicology
to Humans .......................................... 23
2.7 Lubricant Additives and Their Hazards to the Environment .... 27
2.8 Ultimate Fate of Lubricant Additives ...................... 30
2.9 Biodegradation of Additives ............................. 32
2.10 Bio-concentration of Additives ........................... 33
2.11 The Future of Additive Technology ....................... 33
2.12 Conclusion .......................................... 34
References ................................................. 34
xi
xii Contents
3 The Environment and Lubricant Related Emissions .............. 35
3.1 Introduction ......................................... 35
3.2 Extended Drain Interval ................................ 38
3.3 Fuel Economy Aspect .................................. 38
3.4 Emissions Reduction Aspect ............................ 40
3.5 Contribution of Lubricant Properties to Diesel
Exhaust Emissions .................................... 42
3.6 Lubricant Additives on Particulate Emissions ............... 44
3.7 Conclusion .......................................... 44
References ................................................. 45
4 Green Lubricant Design and Practice Concept .................. 47
4.1 Introduction ......................................... 47
4.2 Vegetable Bio-lubricants ............................... 48
4.3 Environmental Pollution Control ......................... 51
4.4 Lubricants for High Temperature Diesel Engines ............ 52
4.5 Synthetic Lubricants and Long Drainage Intervals ........... 52
4.6 Additives to Match High Temperatures .................... 53
4.7 Lube Deposit Formation ................................ 53
4.8 Hot Metal Surface Effects .............................. 54
4.9 Environmentally Considerate Lubricants (ECL) ............. 55
4.10 Recycling and Reclamation of Lubricants .................. 56
4.11 Extended Condition-Based Drainage Interval ............... 56
4.12 Leakage Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.13 Future of Green Lubricants ............................. 57
4.14 Conclusion .......................................... 57
References ................................................. 58
5 Synthetic Lubricants and the Environment ..................... 59
5.1 Introduction ......................................... 59
5.2 Synthetic Versus Mineral Lubricants ...................... 60
5.3 Synthetic Base Oil Classification ......................... 61
5.4 Demand for Thermal-Oxidative Oils for High-Temperature
Diesel Lubricants ..................................... 62
5.5 Lubricants Based on Synthesized Fluid .................... 63
5.6 Hydrocarbons Build-up from Mineral Oil-Based
Lubricants ........................................... 63
5.7 Health Impact on Humans .............................. 64
5.7.1 Toxicity of Unused Lubricating Oils .............. 64
5.7.2 Toxicity of Used Lubricating Oils ................ 65
5.7.3 Effect of Extended Drainage Interval
on Used Oil .................................. 65
5.8 Environmental Impacts ................................. 66
5.9 Advantages of Synthetic Lubricants ....................... 67
5.9.1 Fuel Economy ............................... 67
5.9.2 Extended Drainage/Reduced Oil Disposal .......... 67
Contents xiii
5.9.3 Particulate Emissions Reduction ................. 68
5.9.4 High Temperature Stability ..................... 68
5.9.5 Bio-degradability of Synthetic Lubricating Oils ..... 69
5.10 Impact of Recycling Used Oil ........................... 70
5.11 Synthetic Lubricants and the Future ....................... 70
5.12 Conclusion .......................................... 71
References ................................................. 72
6 Eco-friendly Base Oils. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
6.1 Introduction ......................................... 73
6.2 Bio-based Base Oil .................................... 74
6.3 Lubricant Base Stocks ................................. 75
6.4 Eco-labeling of Lubricants .............................. 75
6.5 Features of Good Bio-lubricants ......................... 76
6.6 Base Stocks from Vegetable Oils ......................... 76
6.7 Bio Lubricants Market ................................. 78
6.8 Make-up of Vegetable Oils .............................. 78
6.9 Additive Reformulation for Bio Lubricants ................. 79
6.10 Chemical Modification of Base Oils ...................... 79
6.11 Synthetic Base Oil Synthesis ............................ 82
6.12 Bio-degradable Lubricants .............................. 83
6.13 Conclusion .......................................... 83
References ................................................. 84
7 Development of Biodegradable Lubricants ..................... 85
7.1 Introduction ......................................... 85
7.2 Drive for Environmental Compatible Lubricating Fluids ...... 86
7.3 Application of Bio-lubricants ............................ 87
7.4 Vegetable-Based Bio-lubricants and the Environment ......... 90
7.5 Biodegradable Base Stocks and the Environment ............ 92
7.6 Basic Eco-toxicological Properties of Bio-lubricants ......... 94
7.7 Development of High-Performance Industrial Bio-lubricants ... 95
7.8 Development of Bio-lubricants Technical Properties .......... 95
7.9 Bio-lubricant Limitation: Additives and Modification
Process ............................................. 96
7.10 Bio-degradable Greases ................................ 98
7.11 Bio-lubricants Potential for Long-Term Use ................ 98
7.12 Biodegradation Accelerants for Lubricants ................. 99
7.13 Bio-based Lubricants Market and Potential ................. 100
7.14 Conclusion .......................................... 100
References ................................................. 101
8 Lubricant Life Cycle Assessment .............................. 103
8.1 Introduction ......................................... 103
8.2 Petroleum Mineral Base Oil ............................. 104
8.3 Synthetic Ester Base Oil ................................ 104
