8 October, 2015
Tribodays 2015 in Nynäshamn
EAL for marine applications
Overview of EPA regulations and future technologies
Ichiro Minami
Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Contents
 Introduction
• MARTEC II ArTEco
• The task of LTU
 EPA VGP-2013
• Outline
• Lubricants
 Strategy and design
• Environmentally acceptable lubrication systems
• Lubricant maintenance based on condition monitoring
• The concept of green chemistry
 Summary and prospects
MARTEC II ArTEco
ArTEc
 Abbreviation: Arctic Thruster Ecosystem
 Coordinator: VTT, Finland.
 Partners:
Wärtsilä, Tampere U. Tech. (IHA & Material Science),
ATA Gears, Armeka, Katsa, LTU, SKF,
Tech. U. Dresden, Klingelnberg
 Period:
1 January 2015 – 31 December 2017.
 Total budget: ≈7.4 M€
Task of LTU: Environmentally acceptable lubrication systems
 Lubricant candidates as mineral oil alternatives.
• EPA VGP-2013 certification
• Type of base oil and acceptable additive package
 Sustainable lubricants for hydraulic systems.
• Physical properties under elevated pressures
• Feasibility of synthetic fluids
 Lubricant maintenance.
• Advanced condition monitoring
• Extended lifetime of lubricants
EPA VGP-2013
 United States Environmental Protection Agency
 Vessel General Permit for discharges incidental to the normal operation
of Vessels
 Became effective on December 19, 2013 and expire at midnight
December 19, 2018.
 http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/npdes/vessels/upload/vgp_permit2013.pdf
 194 pages document regulation of waste discharge for vessels greater
than 79 feet (≈ 24 m) in length in areas less than 200 nm (≈370 km)
from any US shore. Additional regulations for each state and The Great
Lakes.
 How to manage and how to report wastes (after cleaning operation,
foods, oils, etc.).
 All vessels must use an EAL in all oil to sea interfaces, unless
technically infeasible.
EPA VGP-2013
 EAL (Environmentally acceptable lubricants) means lubricants that are
“biodegradable” and “minimally-toxic” and are “not bioaccumulative.”
 Products labeled by labeling programs: Blue Angel, European Ecolabel,
Nordic Swan, the Swedish Standards SS 155434 and 155470, OSPAR,
and DfE.
 Lubricant has to contain at least 90 mass% of biodegradable; up to 5
mass% may be non-biodegradable (but not bioaccumulative) while the
remainder must be inherently biodegradable.
 Grease has to contain at least 75 mass% of biodegradable; 25 mass%
may be either inherently biodegradable or non-biodegradable, but may
not be bioaccumulative.
EPA VGP-2013
 Biodegradable: within 28 days according to the defined procedures.
 Inherent biodegradability: after 28 days according to the defined
procedures.
 Non-bioaccumulative
• the partition coefficient in the marine environment is log KOW <3 or >7
using test methods OECD 117 and 107,
• molecular mass > 800 Daltons,
• molecular diameter >1.5 nanometer,
• BCF or BAF is <100 L/kg, using OECD 305, OCSPP 850.1710 or OCSPP
850.1730, or a field-measured BAF or
• polymer with MW fraction below 1,000 g/mol is <1%.
 Only stated substances present above 0.10% shall be assessed.
Lubricant design
 Base oils; biodegradable synthetic fluids (esters, hydrocarbons) and
plant oils are well studied.
Short term
 “Non-biodegradable” additives less than 5 mass% are feasible.
 “Non-bioaccumulative” additives are challenging
• Polymers or macromolecules?
• Enhanced functions per molecule according to an exemption of “only stated
substances present above 0.10% shall be assessed.”
Midterm
 Synergism of additives (combination of the approved chemicals)
Long term lubricant design (Tri-synergism)
Additives
A smart protocol for
Interface
large-matrix
chemistry
experiments
Base oils
Material
Long term lubrication systems (Lubricant maintenance)
worse
1.0
0.8
Peroxide
Acid number
Wear volume
0.2
not risen
0.4
not risen
Degradation index, -
0.6
Extended lifetime with less
amount of additive
50 h
100 h
0.0
Advanced maintenance
50 h
100 h
Conventional maintenance
Procedure and monitoring duration
J. Japan Petroleum Institute, 52(6), 351-356 (2009).
Future requirements: 12 principles of green chemistry
1.
2.
It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.
Synthetic methods should be designed to maximize the incorporation of all materials used in the
process into the final product.
3. Wherever practicable, synthetic methodologies should be designed to use and generate substances
that possess little or no toxicity to human health and the environment.
4. Chemical products should be designed to preserve efficacy of function while reducing toxicity.
5. The use of auxiliary substances (e.g. solvents, separation agents, etc.) should be made unnecessary
wherever possible, and innocuous when used.
6. Energy requirements should be recognized for their environmental and economic impacts and should
be minimized. Synthetic methods should be conducted at ambient temperature and pressure.
7. A raw material or feedstock should be renewable rather than depleting wherever technically and
economically practicable.
8. Unnecessary derivatization (blocking group, protection/deprotection, temporary modification of
physical/chemical process) should be avoided whenever possible.
9. Catalytic reagents (as selective as possible) are superior to stoichiometric reagents.
10. Chemical products should be designed so that at the end of their function they do not persist in the
environment and break down into innocuous degradation products.
11. Analytical methodologies need to be developed further to allow for real-time in-process monitoring and
control prior to the formation of hazardous substances.
12. Substances and the form of a substance used in a chemical process should be chosen so as to
minimize the potential for chemical accidents, including release, explosions, and fires.
P.T.Anastas, J.C.Warner: "Green Chemistry Theory and practice“ 1998.
Summary and prospects
 EPA-VGP2013
• Definition of EAL
• Non-Bioaccumulative compounds
 Future technologies (also lubricants for other applications)
• Synergism of each component
• Lubricant design and maintenance with the concept of green chemistry
 Presentations
• “Lubricants conformed to the concept of green chemistry” International
Colloquium Tribology, (Esslingen, Germany), 13 January 2016.
• “Lubricant maintenance based on condition monitoring” STLE Annual
Meeting & Exhibition, May, 2016.