BASQUE RESEARCH
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News

2009/11/16

Tekniker-IK4 develops new biolubricants to compete with petroleum derivatives

Tekniker-IK4 technological centre is leading the drawing up a series of trials for a new generation of biodegradable oils which are considerably superior to the performances of the current ones, to the point that they will be able to compete with petroleum derivatives in their industrial applications.

95% of the lubricants currently used in Europe are not biodegradable. In Spain half a million tons are consumed annually, giving rise to 40% of river contamination, giving us an idea of the importance for sustainability of developing a range of environmentally-friendly lubricants.

The technological centre, based in Eibar in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, works in all lines of research involving sustainable technology. In this case the project, known as BIOVESIN, is an ambitious one financed by the Spanish Government whose aim is the development of a range of lubricants which respect the environment and based on latest-generation vegetable oils and certain biodegradable additives. The project involves the use of vegetable oils with a high content of oleic acid, from both sunflower and ricin.

These new products have a direct application to a multitude of industrial sectors and are designed according to the European Ecolabel criteria of biodegradability and non-toxicity which evaluate the environmental effects of a product throughout its life cycle.

The design and launch of this new range of biolubricants arising from the BIOVESIN project presents a series of advantages, notable amongst these being the generation of a technology of own production by Spanish industry and protected by patents, the proliferation of oleaginous crops (soya, sunflower, maize, etc.) for biofuels, the concomitant reduction of production costs or the development of a technology that enables these new biolubricants to function well in both cold and hot climates.

The project, coordinated by the Institute de la Grasa (GGBLS-CSIC), has a total budget of more than 6 million euro and is financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation within the Unique Strategic Projects sub-programme, and aided by the European FEDER funds. Together with Tekniker-IK4 and the GGBL-CSIC, a total de 14 partners are participating in the BIOVESIN project, notable amongst which are the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (IAS-CSIC), the Spanish universities of Santiago, Huelva, Seville and Almeria, and the Gamesa, Indra Sistemas, Abamotor Energía, Agria Hispania, Verkol , Limagrain Ibérica and Coreysa companies.

The project began in 2006 and is due to conclude next year, once all the biolubricants for the different applications have been developed and the evaluation trials finalised. Important advances have already been made, such as, for example, the development of a specific biolubricant for aerogenerators that further boosts the green character of wind energy.