Oleochemical esters - environmentally compatible raw materials for oils and lubricants from renewable resources

Due to the increasing marker relevance of environmentally labelled products , the ecological properties of oleochemical esters have been intensively st udied within the last couple of years. In general, their aquatic toxicity i s very low or almost negligible, and they are readily biodegradable in most cases. They have not to be labelled as "dangerous for the environment" acc ording to the EU Dangerous Substance Directive. Their origin from renewable resources results in lower net CO2-emissions ("global warming") compared t o petrochemical products. Not many lubricants have such rather positive eco logical profiles. Thus, most of them are classified in the most favourable water hazard class, i.e. in WGK 0. In addition, they fulfill the requiremen ts of several European environmental labels, e.g. "Blauer Engel". These Fav ourable ecological properties together with their well established technica l performance recommend the oleochemical eaters as suitable base oils fur t he development of high performance "green" oil and lubricant products.