GLOBAL MARINE REGULATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF RENEWABLE LUBRICANT TECHNOLOGIES

GLOBAL MARINE REGULATIONS AND

THE FUTURE OF RENEWABLE LUBRICANT TECHNOLOGIES

There are numerous factors that are driving global environmental regulatory growth and the

growth in renewable lubricant technologies, such as natural resource constraints, standardizing

requirements due to globalization, public opinion and pressure, increase in climate change

concerns, new technologies, new evidence from research and overall growing Environmental

Health and Safety (EHS) concerns, and most recently the improvements in the durability of

lubricants made from renewable technologies. According to environmental consultants and

advisors, there are currently thousands of new environmental regulations awaiting attention from

legislators and regulators around the globe. Different standards hamper growth and thus, pressure

to harmonize regulations is likely to continue alongside the regional and global integration of

markets.

The marine industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries and was amongst the first to

adopt widely implemented international safety and environmental standards. It is principally

regulated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is responsible for the

protection of the marine environment and has, over many years, adopted a wide range of

measures to prevent and control pollution caused by ships. One of the main goals of IMO is to

mitigate the effects of any damage that may occur as a result of maritime operations and

accidental spills, leaks and discharges. So far, IMO has adopted 51 treaty instruments for the

regulation of international shipping, 21 of which are directly environment-related.

To address the increasing concern regarding the extent of spills, leaks and discharges of

chemicals into the oceans, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed the

2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP). Oil-based chemicals that routinely leak into the sea during

normal operations include fuel oils, gear oils, hydraulic oils, marine lubricants, greases and

cleaning oils. They can reach concentrated levels with serious local impacts on water quality,

impacting fisheries, wildlife and recreational boating. Under the 2013 VGP, all ships larger than

79 feet must use Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs) in oil-to-sea interfaces when in

the three Nautical Mile limit and in the Great Lakes unless technically infeasible. Similar EAL

regulations are coming into effect for smaller vessels. The EPA’s Small Vessel General Permit

(sVGP), which is currently pending and expected to go into effect in December 2017, will apply

to non-military, commercial vessels that are less than 79 feet in length. According to the

“Economic and Benefits Analysis of the Proposed sVGP” document issued by EPA, compliance

with the VGP and sVGP allows vessels to meet the Clean Water Act (CWA) requirement to

obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit coverage for

discharges incidental to normal operations.

Currently, EPA and IMO are working together to develop and implement legal standards that

address vessel source pollution and ocean dumping. EPA also works with the United Nations

Caribbean Environment Program based in Jamaica, focused on reducing land-based sources of

marine pollution, including in the Gulf of Mexico and the wider Caribbean region.

With the VGP, drafted sVGP and other global sustainability initiatives firmly in place to regulate

discharges by EPA, IMO and other organizations, two main EAL solutions have emerged for

marine applications – Hydraulic Environmental Synthetic Esters (HEES) and Hydraulic

Environmental Polyalphaolefin and related hydrocarbons (HEPR). While both options are

globally available and meet current environmental regulations, the HEPR technology has

inherent advantages that drive economic value and enable environmental leadership. While

HEES products can deliver high performance, they can be prone to hydrolysis in the presence of

water (they can decompose to form acids and alcohols which impact lubricity and can cause

potential damage to metals and seals). In contrast, HEPR solutions have excellent thermal and

hydrolytic stability and broad temperature range performance.

Building on the proven success of the HEPR technology, some in the industry are leading the

way with the development of new bio-based lubricant formulations that pair enhanced

renewability with an excellent performance profile to meet the growing global regulations and

evolving market needs. FUTERRA™ is a new Ecolabel-certified (a voluntary label promoting

trusted environmental excellence) renewable hydrocarbon Environmentally Acceptable

Lubricant (EAL). According to the European Commission, the EU Ecolabel helps to identify

products and services that have a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle, from

the extraction of raw material through to production, use and disposal. The only EAL from a

renewable hydrocarbon resource, FUTERRA offers drop-in replacement for mineral oil- or

petroleum-based lubricants and was designed to outperform other EALs in both wet and dry

environments.

FUTERRA outperforms other EALs in several key areas, such as durability, water separability,

oxidative stability, hydrolytic stability and seal compatibility (see Figure 1). It allows for easy

conversion and, while some EALs are incompatible with certain types of seals, FUTERRA has

very broad seal compatibility, even with traditional seals like NBR, allowing operators to use the

seal that is the best choice for their specific needs.

Figure 1: Key Differentiators of EALs

FUTERRA is demulsifying, allowing for the effective separation and removal of water from the

fluid and system (see Figure 2). A product that is capable of quickly and completely separating

from water has multiple practical applications, such as allowing operators to recycle and reclaim

product contaminated with water. In comparison, HEES lubricants are emulsifying, which means

they have a tendency to absorb water contamination. Many producers of HEESs have claimed

that, given their fluids’ ability to emulsify water, there is no need to check for or remove water

from the system. However, most OEMs disagree, recommending draining and refilling any fluid

with water content above 5 percent. The industry generally appears to be moving toward wider

use of demulsifying lubricants, which allow water to be easily removed through normal

separating methods. Because of this capability, HEPRs generally offer longer drain intervals and

enhanced performance, which result in better long-term return on investment.

Figure 2: Demulsification Rate

FUTERRA has better oxidative stability compared to other EALs (see Figure 3). Oxidation is a

chemical reaction that naturally occurs with a combination of the lubricating oil and oxygen. The

rate of oxidation is accelerated by high temperatures, water, acids and other catalysts such as

copper. Generally, oxidation reduces the service life of a lubricant by half, for every 10 degrees

C (18 degrees F) increase in fluid temperature above 60 degrees C (140 degrees F). FUTERRA

is more capable to resist degradation in the face of moisture and heat.

Figure 3: Oxidative Stability

FUTERRA performs well in low temperature environments (see Figure 4). In early versions of

biodegradable products, there had been performance issues at low temperatures. FUTERRA

accomplishes this and more. FUTERRA even has a lower pour point than the Polyglycol HEPG

products that are based off of similar chemistries to anti-freeze.

Figure 4: Low Temperature Capability

Air contamination can have serious effects on lubrication. Air can exist in oil in four different

states of coexistence (dissolved, entrained, free and foam). Foam indicates more than 30 percent

air, which can lead to numerous problems, including oxidation, thermal degradation, poor heat

transfer, retarded oil supply and cavitation. Depending on the machine design, application and

aeration severity, it is possible that all five of these conditions could be happening concurrently.

Air is a real contaminant that requires thoughtful monitoring and control, and left unattended, it

can destroy equipment. FUTERRA has near zero foam tendency (see Figure 5), thus, eliminating

the problems associated with air contamination.

Figure 5: Foam performance in standardized testing

FUTERRA resists corrosion (see Figure 6). The need for corrosion inhibition in a wet

environment has been a need as long as there have been vessels in the water. The rods in Figure

6 were immersed and heated in a water contaminated stern tube fluid. Testing results show that

FUTERRA protects from corrosion even when water is not removed from the system and

allowed to contact the metals. Corrosion and sludge in the system plug filters and reduce the life

of the equipment, but with FUTERRA corrosion is not an issue. FUTERRA’s corrosion

inhibition capabilities reduce the need for oil and filter changes and extend equipment life,

thereby reducing maintenance. Ultimately, this reduces expenses and increases flexibility.

Figure 6: Corrosion Inhibition

FUTERRA has incredible resistance to hydrolysis (see Figure 7). FUTERRA is made from

chemistry that is designed to resist hydrolysis, and it also removes acid from the lubricating

phase keeping corrosive materials out of equipment in the face of moisture contamination. This

is the first EAL ever designed to not only resist hydrolysis, but provide a means of dissociating

acids from the lubrication zone. FUTERRA is the only EAL that acts like an oil. FUTERRA

succeeds in places where EALs that are sensitive to water and hydrolysis have failed, which will

keep your equipment running better for longer.

Figure 7: Hydrolytic Stability

With unsurpassed durability, FUTERRA minimizes fear of fluid failure while extending the life

of the fluid and offers the ultimate compatibility with legacy equipment and seals. By meeting

current and pending global environmental regulations, including EPA’s VGP and drafted sVGP,

FUTERRA allows operators to future-proof their fleets by addressing evolving standards upfront

in a cost-effective and performance-enhancing manner. In fact, FUTERRA is backed by a

limited 10-year warranty for stern tube applications that surpasses anything in the market today.

FUTERRA not only offers the highest level of sustainability, but also ensures compliance for

years to come.

For more information on FUTERRA or any of RSC Bio Solutions’ environmentally

acceptable products, as well as regulations, applications and considerations, please visit

www.rscbio.com.