Life Cycle Environmental Impacts from Biobased Lubricants

Phoebe Cuevas*, University of Pittsburgh
Amy E. Landis**, University of Pittsburgh

Approximately 50 percent of all lubricants, mostly mineral based, are released into the environment during use, spills, and disposal. This is a concern since traditional lubricants, mostly mineral based, are not completely biodegradable and have high toxic content. Therefore, new and used lubricants can cause significant damage to the environment, especially to water sources. 1

Biobased lubricants are being manufactured and employed with the hope of minimizing the life cycle environmental impacts that are caused by use of mineral based lubricants. These biolubricants are being produced from agricultural feedstocks, are biodegradable, and have the potential for lower toxicity 2,3.

Research on biobased lubricants has generated varying conclusions regarding the environmental impacts of these products. Most of the studies conclude that the agricultural phase has the highest environmental impact, contributing to acidification, eutrophication, and smog 4,5,3. Alternatively, studies indicate lower impacts to the global warming potential and climate change categories from the biobased options than the mineral based products.

This presentation will present a comparative life cycle assessment of the environmental impacts of soybean, rapeseed, and mineral based lubricants. The effects of an increase in the use of biobased lubricants at state level will be discussed in addition to the effects caused by the use of different lubricants (soybean, rapeseed, and mineral based). The study presents a comparison of the CO2 emissions from each of the lubricants, and the contribution to global warming for different use scenarios. In addition, the impact on demand for agricultural land, water quality impacts, and energy savings from the use of biolubricants will be presented.

References

1. Schneider, M.P., Plant-oil-based lubricants and hydraulic fluids. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2006. 86(12): p. 1769-1780.
2. IENICA, Biolubricants - Market Data Sheet, I.E.N.f.I.C.a.t. Applications, Editor. 2004, Central Science Laboratory. p. 1-11.
3. Miller, S.A., et al., A comparative life cycle assessment of petroleum and soybean-based lubricants. Environmental Science and Technology, 2007. 41(11): p. 4143-4149.
4. Vag, C., et al., A comparative life cycle assessment of the manufacture of base fluids for lubricants. Journal of Synthetic Lubrication, 2002. 19(1): p. 39-57.
5. McManus, M.C., G.P. Hammond, and C.R. Burrows, Life-cycle assessment of mineral and rapeseed oil in mobile hydraulic systems. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2004. 7(3-4): p. 163-177.
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