Amyris launches sustainable lube range
Renewable fuel and chemical specialist, Amyris, has announced a new range of sustainable lubricants.
Known as EvoShield™, the range offers lubricants produced from sustainably-sourced base oils and additives for the industrial sector. The products will be made using NovaSpec™ synthetic base oils which are sourced from Amyris' Biofene® product.
The new lubricants are designed to perform well under extreme conditions, while offering strong environmental benefits through renewability, biodegradability and reduced toxicity when measured against petro-based products. Applications include hydraulic, compressor, turbine and gear oils. Marine and food-grade EvoShield™ formulae are also offered.
Biofene® is renewable farnesene produced in Brazil through Novvi, Amyris' joint venture with Brazilian specialist Cosan, providing a fully sustainable, synthetic base oil. Amyris now has five Biofene® production joint ventures in Brazil, the US and Europe and is set to boost output as the global demand for bio-lubes increases.
Indications of Amyris' expansion intent was reinforced by a further announcement that Baton Rouge-based Albemarle Corporation has agreed to produce NovaSpec™under licence from Novvi at its South Carolina facilites, allowing Novvi to expand its marketing to finished lubes manufacturers around the world. To complete the loop, Albemarle will, naturally, use Biofene® to produce the base oils.
