Juri Sudheimer About What Are Bio-Lubricants for Cars and Motorcycles Made Of: From Rapeseed to Algae

Did you know that algae can be used not only in the food industry? Or that rapeseed, sunflower, or palm oil are used for more than just cooking? Bio-based raw materials are indeed used to produce components and base oils for lubricants. However, it is important from the outset to distinguish between two concepts that are often confused:

• Bio-based — refers to the origin of carbon (what share of the raw material is renewable).

• Biodegradable — refers to the rate and degree of decomposition under standardized tests (for example, OECD 301 series).

These characteristics are related but not identical: a product may be partially bio-based yet only moderately biodegradable, or vice versa.

Another fundamental point: biodegradability has the greatest value where lubricant leakage into the environment is possible (marine equipment, hydraulic systems of forestry and construction machinery, chain oils, gearboxes). For passenger car and motorcycle engine oils, the primary requirements remain compliance with API/ACEA/OEM standards and resistance to oxidation, nitration, deposits, and wear. “Greenness” usually plays a secondary role (for example, the share of bio-components) rather than being a core criterion.

Contents

• Bio-based materials are a tool, not an end in themselves

• Feedstocks and technologies: what bio-lubricants are made from

• First-generation feedstocks: food crops

• Second generation: non-food feedstocks and secondary resources

• Third generation: algae and microbial oils

• Emerging trends in biodegradable lubricants

• Key industry players and developments

• Outlook for the coming years

• In lieu of a conclusion

Juri Sudheimer: “Bio-based materials are a tool, not an end in themselves”

We asked Juri Sudheimer, founder of MANNOL, for comment. According to him, the lubricant industry should not oppose “petroleum” and “bio” as mutually exclusive concepts but should focus on the requirements of a specific application. Bio-components offer significant advantages in environmentally sensitive environments, but for passenger car engine oils, meeting API, ACEA, and OEM requirements for wear protection, oxidation resistance, and engine cleanliness remains paramount.

Juri Sudheimer emphasizes that in real engineering practice, bio-based feedstocks should be viewed as one formulation tool among others—alongside synthetic esters, additives, and friction modifiers. Where high thermal stability, oxidation resistance, and acceptable biodegradability can be combined, such solutions clearly have a future. However, there is currently no universal “green recipe” suitable for all types of machinery.

Feedstocks and Technologies: What “Green” Oils Are Made From

In the lubricant industry, “bio-oils” usually do not mean “raw pressed seed oil,” but rather base oils and components derived from renewable feedstocks and/or exhibiting high biodegradability. In real commercial products, several technological approaches are used:

Native Vegetable Oils (Triglycerides)

They offer excellent lubricity and a high viscosity index but often suffer from:

• low oxidative stability (especially at high temperatures and in the presence of air),

• poor low-temperature flow properties (depending on fatty-acid composition),

• sensitivity to hydrolysis (in the presence of water).

Chemically Modified Oils and Synthetic Esters

The most common “professional” route for the EAL segment:

• fatty-acid esters (including saturated or isomerized fractions),

• polyol esters (e.g., TMP esters), which often provide a better balance of low-temperature performance and stability,

• other specialized ester base stocks with high polarity and stability.

Formulations with Additives and/or Partially Synthetic Bases

To ensure reliable performance under severe conditions, “green” products are typically reinforced with:

• antioxidant systems,

• corrosion inhibitors,

• anti-wear and extreme-pressure packages,

• demulsifying and anti-foam properties,

• compatibility with elastomers and construction materials.

First-Generation Feedstocks: Food Crops

Base oils and components derived from food crops are indeed widely used, especially where biodegradability and low toxicity are critical (for example, in hydraulic systems and marine applications). However, this approach has limitations: competition with the food sector and the need for significant stabilization (oxidation and thermal resistance).

Typical First-Generation Sources

Rapeseed
Widely cultivated in Europe and Canada. Typical oil yields are often cited at around ~1,000–1,200 L/ha (highly dependent on yield and technology). Rapeseed is often considered a convenient source of fatty acids for further ester synthesis.
The downside is the need for arable land and the “food vs. fuel/chemicals” debate.

Soybean
The largest crop globally (USA, Brazil, Argentina, etc.), but oil yield per hectare is usually lower—around ~400–500 L/ha—making it less attractive for high-volume applications compared to rapeseed and especially palm oil.

Oil Palm
Extremely high productivity, with commonly cited yields of ~5,000–6,000 L/ha of oil.
Economically strong feedstock, but environmentally controversial due to land-use change and deforestation risks associated with plantation expansion.

Second Generation: Non-Food Feedstocks and Secondary Resources

Second-generation feedstocks aim to reduce pressure on the food sector and/or utilize waste and secondary streams:

• non-food oil crops (including drought-resistant species),

• used cooking oils and animal fats (UCO/fats),

• agricultural by-products,

• lignocellulosic biomass (straw, wood residues).
Important: this is not “oil” directly, but feedstock for conversion into intermediate chemicals from which base oils and components are synthesized.

Examples of Promising Crops

Jatropha
A non-food plant that can grow on marginal and arid land. Publications cite oil yields of up to ~1,500–1,900 L/ha under favorable conditions, but real-world economics depend heavily on agronomy, logistics, and yield stability.

Camelina (False Flax)
An interesting cover and niche crop: drought-tolerant and beneficial for crop rotation. Oil yield is typically higher than soy but lower than rapeseed in most conditions (with wide regional variation). For industry, scalability and supply-chain stability are key factors.

Castor Bean (Castor Oil)
Has a unique chemical structure and excellent lubricity, but often:

• results in very high viscosity,

• requires special attention to oxidative stability,

• demands careful handling of by-products during processing (meal/seeds contain ricin), although the oil itself is widely used in industrial chemistry.

Third Generation: Algae and Microbial Oils

Algae and microbial oils are often described as the “most promising” direction, primarily due to their potentially high productivity and independence from arable land. Expectations, however, must be set realistically.

Advantages

• rapid biomass growth,

• ability to use non-potable water (saline or wastewater, with appropriate technology),

• theoretically high lipid yields per unit area,

• potential integration with CO₂ sources (e.g., industrial emissions) as part of the process.

Key Constraints Preventing Mass Adoption

• high cultivation costs, especially harvesting, dewatering, and drying,

• energy intensity that can offset part of the environmental benefit,

• demand for nutrients (nitrogen/phosphorus) and large-scale infrastructure,

• challenges in scaling from laboratory to economically sustainable industrial production.

Very high figures—sometimes tens of thousands of liters of oil per hectare per year—should be viewed as theoretical potential under optimal scenarios rather than guaranteed industrial norms.

Pilot and early industrial projects (including some in Brazil in the early 2010s) have demonstrated technical feasibility, such as integrating algae cultivation with nearby CO₂ sources. However, widespread replication has not occurred, largely due to economics and the energy intensity of separation, drying, and extraction stages.

Emerging Trends in Biodegradable Lubricants

The industry faces several practical challenges:

Cost Reduction

Through improved bioprocesses, more efficient separation energy use, localized feedstock sourcing, and increased use of waste and secondary streams (UCO, fats, by-products).

Enhanced Performance Characteristics

The main weaknesses of bio-based stocks (especially native oils) are oxidation resistance, thermal stability, and sometimes hydrolytic stability and low-temperature performance. These are addressed by:

• transitioning to more stable ester base stocks,

• carefully selected antioxidant and corrosion-inhibitor packages,

• optimizing viscosity grade and base-oil polarity for specific applications.

Higher Bio-Content in High-Tech Base Stocks

The premium segment increasingly relies on synthetic esters and blends that can simultaneously deliver:

• high biodegradability (under standard tests),

• stable performance properties,

• acceptable low-temperature behavior.

Collaboration Between Lubricant Producers, OEMs, and Regulators

Without alignment on seal materials, warranty conditions, and test standards, widespread adoption will remain limited.

Standards and Labeling

The market needs clear criteria for biodegradability, toxicity/bioaccumulation, bio-based content, and compliance with Ecolabel, VGP, and similar requirements to reduce the risk of “green marketing” without substance.

Key Industry Players and Developments

Shell
Develops EAL lubricant ranges (e.g., Shell Naturelle), widely using synthetic—often ester-based—stocks with a high share of bio-based content and verified biodegradability and low aquatic toxicity, depending on product and certification.

Total Energies
Active in bio-feedstocks and biofuels (including advanced biofuels) and simultaneously develops “green” lubricant solutions for sectors where environmental performance is critical. It is important to distinguish that many major investments relate primarily to fuels and feedstocks rather than directly to passenger car engine oils.

ExxonMobil
In the EAL segment, the focus is on specialized products for environmentally sensitive applications (hydraulics, gear oils, marine environments), often claiming compliance with VGP/Ecolabel requirements, depending on the product. The Mobil SHC family is broad, and not all products within it fall under EAL.

BP
Through partnerships (for example, with agrotechnology companies), develops feedstocks based on cover crops and non-food streams primarily for renewable fuels (RD/SAF). This supports transport decarbonization but does not equate to a mass shift toward biodegradable engine oils.

Lubrizol
As a technology leader in additives, plays a critical role: additive systems largely determine whether bio-based stocks can withstand real operating conditions (oxidation, corrosion, wear, foaming, material compatibility). Their contribution is therefore foundational, even when the finished product is marketed under another brand.

Outlook for the Coming Years

The biodegradable lubricants market is growing mainly due to:

• stricter environmental requirements in applications with leakage risk,

• regulations for marine environments and protected areas,

• corporate sustainability (ESG) programs and demand for EAL products.

Europe continues to set the pace through renewable energy and climate directives (with regulation evolving from RED II toward updated targets and mechanisms), as well as through ecolabeling systems and requirements for products used in sensitive environments.

However, expectations should not focus on a “rapid replacement of petroleum-based engine oils,” but rather on:

• expansion of the EAL segment (hydraulics, marine applications, forestry and construction equipment, chain oils),

• a growing share of bio-components in specific lubricant products,

• gradual cost reduction and performance improvement of ester and biosynthetic base stocks.

In Lieu of a Conclusion

“Green” lubricants are not merely a fashionable trend but a sustainable direction driven by regulation, industrial safety, and technological progress. Nevertheless, it is more accurate to say not that “all cars and motorcycles will soon switch to biodegradable engine oils,” but that:

• in applications with leakage risk, biodegradability and low toxicity have already become genuine competitive advantages;

• in passenger car and motorcycle engine oils, the key barrier remains stringent performance requirements, and “greenness” is developing mainly through partial bio-based content and targeted solutions rather than a universal shift to fully biodegradable formulations.

Please follow and like us: