Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant

What is it that Makes an Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant?

We live in an environmentally conscious age, and so any responsible customer will like to make sure that they are purchasing an environmentally acceptable lubricant. But with so many different factors to take into account, just how can you be certain that a lubricant is sufficiently green? To help you choose, here are three of the main areas to consider:

Biodegradability

One way to make sure that a lubricant will have a minimal affect on the environment will be to check to see if it is biodegradable. This is a term used a lot by various organisations and companies, but a lot of people are uncertain on what it means. In everyday terms, if a substance undergoes chemical degradation in the presence of microorganisms, then it is biodegradable. The more thorough the biodegradation, the less of the substance will be left to cause pollution.

Renewability

Lubricant is typically a petroleum-based product, which leads to limited sustainability. But this is where renewable alternatives come in. Today, it is possible for lubricant components to be sourced from plant or animal-based materials, providing a much greater degree of renewability. According to regulatory bodies, a lubricant can be classed as bio-based if at least fifty per cent of its material is sourced from plants or animals.

Eco-toxicity

To be environmentally acceptable, a lubricant should be free of toxic substances. Some lubricants contain heavy metals, which have a toxic affect on the environment. The greenest lubricants are the ones that not only degrade quickly but lack any toxic elements that would cause lingering harm even once the substance is degraded.

Conclusion

Any environmentally Acceptable Lubricant will have to meet high standards in all three of these areas: biodegradability, renewability and non-toxicity. Choose a lubricant that meets these criteria, and you will be doing your bit to help preserve the environment.