ILMA Compoundings - Jul/Aug 2021 - 19

" Biolubricants are more expensive than conventionally
derived petroleum oil, but they bring value. They
bring sustainability. They bring performance. "
Mark Miller, CEO, Biosynthetic Technologies
issues have been overcome through
various processing methods, putting
them on at least an equal footing
with traditional lubricants in terms of
performance.
In the post-recession 2010s,
BioBlend found success with vegetable-based
elevator oils - showing
that they reduce electricity usage with
better fire protection than their petroleum-based
counterparts - and with
greases based on canola and soybean
oils. Using renewable, biodegradable
synthetic esters, BioBlend also created
high-performance, biodegradable
synthetic lubricants that hold up in
frigid climates.
" They're still a lot more environmentally
friendly, which feels good for some
customers, but when you can actually
outperform other petroleum-based
products, that's when things start to get
interesting, " said Hart.
BioBlend is partnering with
OEMs interested in testing renewable
products for use in a variety of
applications, Hart added. Achieving
performance and change intervals that
are equal or better to existing products
is " table stakes. At the end of the day,
people are still making good business
decisions. If we can't be at the same
price and performance at the same levels,
customers typically don't change. "
At Biosynthetic Technologies, testing
reveals that its estolides show equivalent
performance to top-tier polyalphaolefins
(PAOs) and API Group III base
stocks in oxidation and hydrolytic
stability, said Miller. " If you look at that
type of data, it shows that the material
does what we say it can do. "
Looking Ahead
Biolubricants can't claim the sustainability
crown for themselves,
Luzuriaga noted. Even non-biobased
products can make claims of nontoxicity
and biodegradability.
" The discussion is going beyond
what is biobased into products that are
high-performing and environmentally
friendly, " he said.
But biolubricants are on the
ascendancy. Pre-pandemic, the global
market growth rate for biolubricants
exceeded the industry average - a
static picture for lubricants overall.
As we head out of the pandemic, the
trend continues, with a predicted
average 3.5% growth rate and highs as
steep as 5%, said Luzuriaga.
Emerging economies in countries
focusing solely on pandemic recovery
present " question marks " for biolubricants,
he said, but the effects of
COVID-19 in Europe and North
America are reviving interest in
sustainability. As huge capital expenditures
and reactivation packages are
floated, biolubricants can make a
strong, sustainability-based case for
a seat at the table - even among
investors seeking fast returns to make
up for lost time and money.
Hart sees customer demand piquing
interest among private equity. " Big
companies are making public statements
that they want to do more, "
he said. " They need to get focused on
their carbon footprint, and it leads to
more opportunity for companies like
us that are focused in the renewable
and biodegradable space. "
Miller looks around and sees " blue
skies. "
" I see the entire market for sustainable
materials growing, " he said. " I
see the prognosis for our business and
all the various sustainable alternatives
really looking good. The world is
ready for biolubricants, and we're
leading the way. "
McCormick is a Pennsylvania-based freelance
journalist and a frequent Compoundings
contributor.
19
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