Biobased Lubricants Research & Development History

Since 1991, United Bio Lube's core technology partner, Renewable Lubricants, Inc. (RLI), has pioneered an extensive research and development program of vegetable oil based lubricants.  The primary focus of this program has involved formulating vegetable oil based automotive engine and hydraulic oils for transportation use.  The program has directed R&D toward Food Grade Lubricants, Industrial Fluids, Penetrating Lubricants, Corrosion Inhibitors/Preservative Oils, and Transformer Oils.

Like petroleum oils, vegetable oils have different traits that are revealed by studying their performances in numerous formulations with various additives.  RLI has studied many vegetable base oils and has developed a base oil read-across database formulating these vegetable base oils in combination with other vegetable, synthetic, petroleum, and re-refined oils.

Over the last 15 years, RLI has been able to secure over three million dollars in grant contracts and in-kind contributions to RLI. The program has been identified in the industry as the largest known biobased lubricant program.  RLI has successfully developed many vegetable hydraulic and engine oil formulas in different viscosities (SAE 20 to SAE 70).  RLI's hydraulic oils were formulated to meet MIL Specifications as described in the U.S. Army's TARDEC report # 13640 (46 cSt. @ 400C).

Biobased Hydraulic Fluids developed for the Department of Defense, (DOD) were achieved in cooperation between government contractor CTC/Unisphere, South West Research Institute (SwRI), U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC).  RLI formulates and owns the technology while the DOD pays for testing at SwRI and TARDEC.

The project's overwhelming success is due in part to collaborations with:

RLI's technology has been verified through outside laboratories including DOD/Fort Belvoir, TARDEC Warren MI, Penn State University Department of Chemical Engineering, South West Research, and Lubrizol.  Engine tear down and dynamometer studies were conducted on several engines by consultant David Smith from Creative Energy Products.  Volunteer Chevrolet in Sevierville, Tennessee supplied the engines and dynamometer equipment.  Volunteer Chevrolet won the 1999 ASA Stock Car Championship using a High Oleic Soybean and Canola Bio Motor Oil blend in a high performance 500 HP Chevy engine along with Bio Transmission Fluids and Bio Differential Fluids.  Many technical papers have been published through SAE and STLE on this research.

In October 1993, RLI was contracted to develop lubricants for USDA-DOD Advanced Materials from Renewable Resources Program (AMfRR), titled, "Formulating Functional Vegetable Base Motor and Hydraulic Oils".  This three year project included collaboration with Pennsylvania State University, Dept. of Chemical Engineering.  During this research and development program, many different additives and vegetable base formulas were evaluated, including more than 15 different types of vegetable-based oils.  The main areas of interest were oxidation and wear.  Testing was also conducted at Lubrizol (an RLI competitor's laboratory) under a non-analytical and confidentiality agreement.

In 1993, RLI developed Sunflower based 10W30 Motor Oil, which has been tested in an Oldsmobile 3.8-liter engine for three years with over 45,000 miles acquired.  This 10W30 motor oil received recognition in 1993 for Product of the Year Awards in Lubricants World Magazine.  Nervo/Coggin Racing uses RLI's SAE 30 High Performance Sunflower Base Racing Oil, as a factory fill for their 12,000-RPM single cylinder engines, and recommends this oil as an OEM requirement on their engine warranty.

In 1994, RLI developed SAE 70 High Performance Corn Base Racing Oil for IHRA Five Time World Champion Mark Thomas Racing Team. This 3000 horsepower ethanol-fueled racing car set track records using corn oil lubrication in the engine, transmission, and differential.  Due to this accomplishment, RLI was approached by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to develop a corn based motor oil for a new Flexible Fuel Vehicle FFV E-85 (Ethanol) Ford Taurus.  The Ohio Corn Growers sponsored a trip in this vehicle across the U.S. later in 1994.  This vehicle has been in the testing program with more than 70,000 miles of test data.  RLI has patents filed worldwide on the chemistry in these formulas.

In October 1997, the United Soybean Board (USB) joined RLI's R & D program with an additional contract for RLI to continue the research project with soybean oil. (Project No. 7430 and 7431, "Commercializing Super High VI Soybean Vegetable Lubricants for High Temperature Engine and Hydraulic Applications.")  The technology was secured with RLI's seventh patent application and is currently being commercialized.

Since 1999, RLI has been working with many end users to develop field studies and marketing data.  Two major national parks, Pictured Rocks Lakeshore, Michigan and Isle Royale on Lake Superior have purchased RLI's biodegradable products for use in their equipment.  These parks are very pleased to be among the first Department of Interior (DOI) demonstration sites for these biodegradable lubricants.  The temperature range in the Great Lakes region provides an excellent field test site, ranging from > 90 °F in the summer to < - 30 °F in the winter.

In July of 2000, Pictured Rocks Lakeshore received a grant from the DOI/DOE to purchase a range of RLI's products: Bio Hydraulic Fluids, Bio Trans-Hydraulic Fluids, Bio Hydrostatic Fluids, BPL™ - Bio Penetrating Lubricants, Bio Bar & Chain Oils, Bio Two-Cycle Engine Oils, and BioPower™ Diesel Fuel Conditioners.  The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is also purchasing RLI's products.  Both pilots resulted in successful case studies on operating heavy duty vehicles and equipment running RLI's bio lubricants under extreme temperature conditions.

Over the last 5 years, RLI has been testing a proprietary biobased 10W40 Motor Oil formulation in a 1999 Ford F-250 Power Stroke Diesel in collaboration with the Ohio Soybean Council and the United Soybean Board.  In this vehicle, motor oil formulas have been field tested for physical and chemical properties.  Data collected shows excellent performance for RLI's technology and demonstrates Biobased Lubricant technology performs as good or better than mineral based formulas (See "Renewable Lubricants Manual, Chapter 7 - High Oleic Base Stocks (HOBS)".

In July of 2004, RLI received a letter of recognition from CTC acknowledging 4 years of successful DOD testing RLI's Biobased Lubricants technology. RLI is presently working with CTC/Unisphere and the DOD/TACOM, Warren, MI, designing fire resistant Bio Hydraulic Fluids to meet improved MIL-PRF-6083 and MIL-H-46170 for tactical equipment.

Additionally, RLI and Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. have been working in a joint venture research partnership on a Bio Hydraulic R&D project for the U.S. Postal Service. This project has produced fully functional Bio Hydraulic Fluids achieving 'Ultimate' Biodegradability ratings (ASTM D-5864) while improving several performance parameters, not previously attainable.