Climate protection focuses oil majors in product developments


Oil majors are going green with new products and business approach.

Totals Lubrifiants has moved into the circular economy with the launch of its ECO2 range. The hydraulic oil is manufactured by regenerating waste oils at the Osilub recycling plant, jointly owned by Total and Veolia, using a specific patented process.  Providing a solution to the lubricants end-of-life cycle, the range is ten times less energy-intensive to produce and reduces carbon emissions by 50% across their entire life cycle, according to an independent firm.

Indonesian company Pertamina has beaten the country's distribution target of January 2020 for 30% biosdiesel or B30 for transportation and industry needs.  The organisation undertook trials mixing fuel with fatty acid methyl ester from crude palm oil (CPO) at 30%.  The trials began place in the Rewulu fuel terminal in Yogyakarta and Boyolali fuel terminal in Central Java in November 2019. According to the company, additional foreign exchange savings will be made with a 10% drop in diesel imports and an increase in the absorption of around 72,000 litres of biodiesel until the end of the trial.

Meanwhile ExxonMobil has launched Mobil Pegasus 610 Ultra, a high performance lubricant which will help extend oil drain intervals, reduce unscheduled maintenance costs and increase overall engine availability. Developed and tested in partnership with Infinis, the lubricant  is a 1.0%  sulfated ash, high BN oil with exceptional reserve alkalinity, specifically developed to withstand the effects of aggressive gases by neutralising acids, offsetting their effects on engine components while reducing the need for decoking.

With the rate of Diesel Particulate Filter-clogging presenting a challenge to the industry, Chevron will be launching the Delo 600 ADF line after 15 years of development.  Aimed at reducing filter-clogging, the launch is set for 2nd December acros North America. James Booth, commercial sector manager at Chevron, claimed: "Delo 600 ADF will extend DPF service life by up to 2.5 times, and bringing a 3% fuel economy retention advantage over the life of the equipment, delivering significant savings to customers."  Current heavy-duty engine oils are formulated up to the API CK-4 limit of 1% sulfated ash. Chevron’s Delo 600 ADF is formulated to 0.4% sulfated ash.

Also with global climate protection in mind, Fuchs has announced that from 2020, all 58 company locations will be CO2-neutral. The company will offset its CO2 emissions by investing in high-quality climate protection projects aimed primarily at promoting renewable energies.  "Fuchs' CO2-neutrality strategy is embedded in our sustainability strategy, which we launched ten years ago" stated Stefan Fuchs, Chairman of the Executive Board of Fuchs. He continued, "In this way, we are taking responsibility for global climate protection and making an important contribution to achieving the goals of the UN climate protection agreement ratified in Paris in 2015.' This agreement aims to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels.