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8 Did you know... FUCHS hydraulic oils of the ENVIRO range bear the Marguerite, the EU ecolabel. EU opens the throttle for bio-lubricants FUCHS offers more that 50 eco-friendly products With about 4%, the proportion of biolubricants in the total lubricant market in Germany is still very low. But it will change. The European Union makes great efforts to boost eco-friendly products. FUCHS is also involved in the Brussels initiatives, which will set the course to success with bio-lubricants. “FUCHS is the largest German supplier of biodegradable lubricants in Germany – our portfolio encompasses more than 50 products from hydraulic and transmission oils, metal working fluids all the way to engine oils. For many years, we have been an active player in this business segment“, Rolf Luther, Manager Test Bay and Pre-development, describes the FUCHS involvement. Biolubricants are particularly established in the hy draulic segment and for loss lubricants but also in the metal cutting business. According to experts, the market share of bio-hydraulic fluids currently amounts to ten per cent. In other fields of application, such as forestry, they have become indispensable. But also for other environmentally sensitive applications like wind turbines, high-tech bio-lubricants manufactured by FUCHS EUROPE SCHMIERSTOFFE and FUCHS LUBRITECH have proven to be effective because they score with low friction coefficients, high load-carrying capacity and good wear resistance. Even the flagship among the FUCHS engine oils, TITAN GT1 0W-20, is strictly speaking a bio-lubricant which excels with rapid oil supply to all engine parts, and, as a result, reduced engine wear. Nonetheless, the share of bio-lubricants in the overall lubricants market has stagnated for years, says Luther. One important reason, apart from the higher prices for these products, is that no generally accepted standard is in place for these products – neither in terms of designations and definitions nor where recognition of their lower environmental burden is concerned. “Even if there are environmental labels and standards for some lubricant groups, a comprehensive standard for bio-lubricants is still not available. We need a standard that everyone can use to verify compliance”, Luther gives account of the problems. “We appreciate the Lead Market Initiative of the Euro pean Union, which has put the development of these standards on their agenda.” The EU Commission has six markets in focus that seem particularly promising and therefore will be provided with favorable framework conditions. Biobased products, in particular bio-polymers (plastics) and bio-lubricants, is one of those markets with high growth potential in which Europe will gain a competitive edge. High potential “Taking bio-based products from promise to market – measures to promote the market introduction of innovative bio-based products” was the conclusion of the final report on the EU Lead Market Initiative, published on 3 No - vember 2009. It mandated the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) to devise a standardization program for bio-lubricants. “In June last year, a task force was established within the CEN for which I was assigned the leadership”, says Rolf Luther, “and we have been quite busy since September 2009.” The time schedule of the task force is ambitious: Before the end of this year, recommendations are to be submitted in a so-
Rapeseed, sunflower and palm oil are popular renewable raw materials for the production of bio-lubricants. For modern high-performance lubricants, however, they are transformed into synthetic esters. called “technical report”, which, after being supplemented and optimized, will form the basis for “technical specifications” one year later. From these technical specifi cations a standard will be derived which will be binding for all EU-member states. “The definition we have developed will stipulate the minimum requirements for all types of bio-lubricants“, explains Rolf Luther. In focus are bio-degradability, content of renewable resources, toxicity and performance. “For the longest time since the 1970s, the most important criterion for a bio-lubricant was degradability”, the physicist remembers. “In particular oil losses due to engine design, such as on outboard boat engines or saw chains, causing unpleasant oil spills on the water surface or in the forest, de manded quick degradability. Today, consumers also associate bio-lubricants with renewable resources.“ He assumes that the task force will recommend a minimum proportion of 25% renewable resources in use of the material itself. That would be a feasible compromise meeting consumer expectations and not discriminating against petrochemical products. “Where bio-degradability is concerned, OECD Directives (Test Pro cedure OECD 301) apply which require a degradation of at least 60% for oils and minimum 50% for lubricants within 28 days. Radiocarbon dating is used as the method to identify the content of re - newable resource – usually a method to determine the age of organic material but also suitable to classify raw materials. “I place particular importance on customer orientation: the end consumer can verify each criterion on the final product.“ This is essential when trying to engrain a good reputation of bio-lubricants in the mind of the customer. As far as possible, the new standard should also be compatible with the “Marguerite”, the EU ecolabel for lubricants (EEL) in force for lubricants since 2005. “In the beginning, this ecolabel was not at all accepted by the market. It is simply not as widely known as the Blue Angel, the German environmental label. Since 2008, however, increasingly more biodegradable hydraulic oils are on the market, and so is FUCHS with its ENVIRO product range”, says Luther. But why is the EEL not taken as criterion for a bio-lubricant? “The reason is quite simple: the ecolabel is awarded only for product groups, and currently there are only very few product ranges. The Marguerite, for example, is awarded for hydraulic oils, but not for engine oils or metalworking fluids. That is why a comprehensive definition for bio-lubricants is so important.” Synthetic esters in use For the production of bio-lubricants, preferably vegetable oils and animal fats are used as renewable raw materials – in Germany the most common choice is rapeseed oil. Although native vegetable oils have good lubrication properties – for high-performance oils they are hardly ever used in unchanged composition. Through chemical modifications, vegetable oils are transformed into synthetic esters – a process comparable to petrochemical refining, producing modern hydrocarbon base oils from crude oil by means of more or less complex processes. In the form of such synthetic esters, high-performance lubricants can be produced from vegetable oils which are equal or even superior to mineral oil-based lubricants. The objective is to conserve the good properties of vegetable oils (good environmental compatibility, good lubricating properties) and improve the critical properties (lack of low-temperature stability, tendency to oxidation and hydrolysis). From a clearly defined standard for bio-lubricants, Rolf Luther expects an impetus for this market, which would also benefit FUCHS. “We are an independent lubricant manufacturer that does not own oil wells“, he outlines the perspective. “We can use the most diverse raw materials, develop alternative products and benefit from new market opportunities.” But also in terms of an efficient and profitable bio-lubricant development, EU-wide applicable standards make perfect sense: “That way, we can market standardized products in EU countries and do not have to observe the regulations of each individual country.” 9
Page 1 and 2: The FUCHS Group. News, Views, Posts
Page 3 and 4: Panorama Managers from all over the
Page 5 and 6: A volcanic eruption and its consequ
Page 7: The Supervisory Board is newly elec
Page 11 and 12: Latest company news New grease fact
Page 13 and 14: Carlsson is riding high with FUCHS
Page 15 and 16: WIN club for top sellers 10 th meet
Page 17: Thanks to the staff and the custome

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