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Biolubricants: Environment protection and effectiveness

TOTAL is highly sensitive to environment protection and sustainable development. TOTAL has therefore developed a range of bio-lubricants designed in priority for activities where there is a direct risk for the environment if there is a leak or accidental loss of the product.
Biolubricants thus propose a reliable alternative in answer to the increasing concerns in respect for the environment and for the sustainable development.

What is a biolubricant ?

The term biolubricants applies to all lubricants which are both rapidely biodegradable and nontoxic for humans and aquatic environments.

A biolubricant can be :

vegetable oil-based (e.g. : rape-seed oils)
based on synthetic esters manufactured from modified renewal oils from mineral oil-based products.

There are

Bio-lubricant sectors of application

Bio-lubricants must be used in priority for all applications where there is an environmental risk.

This applies to:

Total waste oils (chainsaw chain oils, 2-stroke engine oils and formwork release agents)
Possible accidental leaks (hydraulic oils and greases).

Some environments for which environmental protection is a permanent preoccupation are particularly concerned by the use of bio-lubricants. This is the case for aquatic, mountain, agricultural and forest environments in particular.

Advantages of biolubricants

Biodegradability
Low toxicity
Respect for the environment
Low oil evaporation losses
Good lubricating properties

High viscosity index
High ignition temperature
Increased equipment service life
Possible longer intervals between changes

What is the Eco-label ?

There are several eco-labels which are designed to differentiate these products from existing conventional lubricants. The European Eco-label published in 2005 is the most unifying and Total has chosen to apply it to its products. This European Eco-label, for which the symbol is a daisy, can only be used on products which satisfy strict criteria as regards their low environmental impact.

It is one of those rare labels which provides a guarantee of performance and can be used to distinguish an ordinary biodegradable oil from a proper Bio-lubricant.

www.eco-label.com