Lubes em Foco Magazine – issue 93
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Developing sustainable products with better performance and efficiency. These are some of the goals of the industrial lubricants market that were presented during the 4th International Meeting with the Lubricants Market, promoted by Editora Onze, on October 29 and 30, 2024, in São Paulo.
However, it is necessary to pay attention to the scenarios involving this market. The warning comes from the Latin America correspondent for I.C.I.S., Jonathan López. The journalist comments on the fluctuation of oil prices and the escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East, as a shadow over the fourth quarter of 2025.
In 2024, global consumption of base oils reached 45 million liters, with 2.6 billion in South America, Brazil accounting for 1.5 billion, according to the journalist.
Comparing the markets, Mexico exhibits weak overall demand, while Brazil registered a price variation of around -4.5% (November/October): Light Neutral -6%, Medium Neutral -3%, and Heavy Neutral -5%. In Argentina, demand was severely impacted due to the recession.
Russian production continues to enter Latin America through “third” countries like Turkey or the United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai. Besides war, climate issues also arise as a concern, with several routes suffering from drought.
Considering the base oil market for the next 30 years, López highlights the shift in automakers’ focus towards electric cars, especially given North America’s and Europe’s investments in the energy transition. At the same time, the journalist mentions sanctions against Chinese electric vehicles, suggesting that the sector’s evolution will only be positive if there is no significant advancement of Chinese products.
The increase in electrification and discussions about sustainability and energy transition suggest that a sustainable solution for the decarbonization of the lubricants supply chain involves rerefined base oil. Supporting this thesis is Aylla Kipper, Institutional Relations and Sustainability Executive at Lwart Soluções Ambientais. She points out that the rerefining process in Brazil is a global success story.
“In Lwart, with a barrel of used lubricating oil, we manage to obtain 75% mineral base oil. The entire process is circular. Rerefined oil has up to 80% fewer emissions,” explains Aylla Kipper. She highlights that since 2005, the collection rate has been increasing, with 48% of all lubricating oil placed on the market being collected.
Another way to ensure the sustainability of products is to extend the lifespan of lubricants, particularly in the industrial sector. To this end, Alexandre Araújo, Business Development Manager at Cargill Bioindustrials, explained how the application of epoxides can improve the oxidative and hydrolytic stability of lubricants.
He states that the company primarily aimed to apply this in high-temperature conditions and scenarios with a risk of water contamination, intending to neutralize these unwanted fluctuations in the process and consequently extend the lifespan of both ester- and plant-based products.
Two product lines were developed: linear-chain epoxides, based on olefins, and branched-chain epoxides, based on carboxylates. “The branched-chain oxidizes much less than the linear, which operates at lower temperatures, thus expanding the range of applications,” explains Araújo.
This allowed them to transform a simple ester, with a low level of additive inclusion, into an ester with the quality of a top-tier product. “With a simple additive process, hydrolysis levels remained virtually unchanged. In the unsaturated ester, we achieved a 75% increase in acidity, with no changes in oxidation. The saturated ester improved even more, with a 73% increase in oxidative stability. For the linear ester, nothing changed.”
In conclusion, Araújo highlights that epoxides are an excellent alternative for lubricant formulators at low dosage levels, enhancing lifespan, sustainability, and overall performance.
EVONIK’s Technical Services Manager, Ricardo Gomes, discussed how high-viscosity-index lubricants impact equipment efficiency. Although hydraulic oil with viscosity grade 68 is still widely consumed in South America, he notes that grade 46 is beginning to gain ground.
Gomes emphasizes that the heart of hydraulic equipment is the system where it transmits power. “The efficiency of the equipment is defined by its volumetric efficiency. The less loss of this efficiency, the more power will be transmitted to the equipment.”
Above 40ºC, the viscosity of the fluid is higher than that of the monoviscous type. This difference expands the operating window of the equipment. Increased viscosity allows for sealing within the pump, which reduces internal leakage and delivers greater power.
If you have lower viscosity at low temperatures, where a higher-demand piece of equipment is required, a fluid transferred at high speeds with lower viscosity will offer less resistance to friction and, consequently, less mechanical loss.
“So, this high-viscosity index fluid offers both mechanical and volumetric efficiency benefits. We saw that at 100ºC, the viscosity of fluid 32 is the same as that of monoviscous 46. This same viscosity ensures sufficient fluid to maintain lubrication at high temperatures, protecting against wear. At low temperatures, the viscosity will be lower, contributing to better mechanical efficiency and reducing friction.”
Emulsifiers represent one-third of all additives used for metal removal. According to LUBRIZOL’s Technical Specialist in Greases for Latin America, Ryan Weber, choosing the right emulsifier system is fundamental, and it must balance performance and cost.
Weber presented PIBSA, developed by the company and used as dispersants that help keep engines clean by reducing deposit formation and soot aggregation.
He states that PIBSA has long-lasting performance compared to sodium sulfonate and is also more cost-effective. “With sulfonate, there can be variability in consistency, whereas PIBSA is uniform and requires less for the same stabilization compared to sulfonate.”
Regarding corrosion protection, sulfonate is very effective, whereas PIBSA is not as much. It needs to be neutralized with a base, unlike sulfonate. In waste treatment, both are similar, the specialist concludes.
Varnish formation is an undeniable reality. Researcher Vanessa Siqueira Manhães from ICONIC Lubricants warns about this issue. She explains that it arises from the degradation of lubricating oil. Initially, these compounds are soluble, but they gradually become insoluble. The contaminants in the oil begin to deposit on the metallic surface of the equipment, forming varnish.
As a result, the viscosity of the oil increases because thermal exchange is no longer possible, and the oil can no longer lubricate, leading to oxidation. The main damages this oil can cause include loss of efficiency, insufficient lubrication, and failures in the equipment components, which may lead to unexpected shutdowns and increased operational costs.
To solve this problem, ICONIC developed Vartech, a triple-action technology designed for cleaning and varnish removal. It is important to highlight that there is no need to stop the equipment to add the product and perform the cleaning process.
Vartech breaks down hardened varnish into soft microparticles, capturing and stabilizing them within a protective barrier, allowing for effective varnish removal from the system without redepositing it onto the equipment.
Continuing with the sustainability approach, UNIVAR’s Sales & Technical Development Coordinator, Flávia Silva, discussed the role of biocides as sustainable solutions for the metalworking industry.
She emphasized that they have been gaining prominence, and although they are only a small part of the preservation system, they ensure quality.
Several factors can contaminate cutting fluids, including the water used to dilute the product. The use of fungicides and bactericides from ARXADA is emphasized as a solution to control these microorganisms.
The partnership between the two companies also led to the creation of a Global Program that enables factory visits to understand the process of each system and identify possible contamination points. After the visit, a laboratory analysis is performed to qualitatively assess the findings, identify the bacteria present, and ultimately issue a report with recommendations on how to proceed.
Hydraulic lubricants account for 48% of the Brazilian market, which consumed 270KT* in 2023, comments Flavio Deminicis, Account Manager at AFTON Chemical. Within this sector, the zinc-free hydraulic fluid segment has been gaining relevance due to its demand in environmentally sensitive applications and superior performance.
The product’s global market share is approximately 15%, with the highest consumption in Europe due to environmental concerns, followed by Asia and North America. In Brazil, demand is still low.
Compared to traditional products, zinc-free fluids offer superior performance, greater equipment reliability, and, at the same time, a lower environmental impact compared to zinc-based equivalents.
A zinc-free additive package can achieve a 3% lower carbon footprint than a conventional package. Its use provides superior oxidation control, ensuring that hydraulic equipment can operate even under the most extreme cycles and conditions, extending its lifespan.
Corrosion, a silent enemy, was the closing theme of the first day of the event, presented by Paula Patrão, Accounts/Products Manager at IMCD, and Roberto Saruls, Business Manager for the Industrial Segment in Latin America at Lubrizol.
Paula began by recalling that studies from the World Corrosion Organization indicate that corrosion costs in the metalworking market reach $2.2 trillion. Given this, the importance of combating this intimate enemy of the sector becomes evident.
According to her, this market requires specific demands, such as longer storage times, a variety of metal alloys, and greater complexity for current passivators, not to mention climate-related issues.
She detailed calcium- and barium-based packages with three types of additives using different diluents. “If you reduce the additive content, there will be a decrease in the resistance of the film, which is quite thin.” Regarding the calcium-based product, a higher mineral addition creates a thicker film, which is more difficult to remove from parts during cleaning after protection.
For protective coatings intended for outdoor applications, long-term protection is necessary since parts will be exposed to various weather conditions. Therefore, the film must be thick and include performance features for corrosion protection over the years, where UV resistance may be important.
However, according to Saruls, thanks to highly innovative technology, Lubrizol has developed a polymeric wax that will bring “enormous benefits for customer applications.” These packages, when diluted in solvent, appear transparent, whereas traditional products have a dark appearance.
The advantage of this new technology is that the mixture can be used in solvent, in naphthenic and paraffinic Group II base oils. “It also allows the formulator to create their own product by combining this package with calcium sulfate, fatty acid, or any other component they find interesting. It’s a flexible technology, not constrained,” he explains.
The traditional guideline is to use 60% solvent, but if mixed with other components, it’s possible to use 30% solvent and the remaining 70% according to the intended purpose or the formulator’s creativity.
