Hydrocarbon Processing - October 2022 - 9

S. KULKARNI, Allied Market Research
Business Trends
Innovative approaches to manufacture base oils
gain customers' attention
For years, lubricating greases and motor
oils have been manufactured from base
oils. Lubricating greases and other automotive
oils require different properties in
oil and different compositions-the most
crucial factor is the viscosity of the liquid
at different temperatures. Moreover,
the concentration of base oil molecules
and how easily they are extracted determine
whether the crude oil is suitable to
be made into a base oil. The crude oil is
heated and (by refining it) the base oil is
manufactured. This process makes light
hydrocarbons to produce petrol and other
fuels, whereas heavy hydrocarbons are
used to produce bitumen and base oils.
One widely known base oil is paraffinic
crude oil. However, some naphthenic
crude oils develop products that have
better solubility and show some valuable
properties at low temperatures.
According to the author's company, the
global base oil market is expected to reach
$41.7 B by 2030, growing at a compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.8% from
2021 to 2030. Increases in demand for
high-grade oils in the automotive industry
and stringent environmental legislations
are the prime factors that drive the market.
As per the report, the Asia-Pacific region
contributed the largest share of the
market in 2020 and will continue to grow
at the highest CAGR in the coming years.
Due to the growing rate of motorization
in the developing countries in the region
(e.g., China and India), the demand for
lubricants is expected to rise. Furthermore,
strict
environmental
legislation
that emphasizes meeting performance
standards will help the base oil market
grow in the Asia-Pacific region.
Evolution of lubrication technology
and base oils. Year after year, lubrication
technology continues to improve.
Solvent-refining technology was replaced
by hydroprocessing technologies, which
allowed the manufacture of various base
oils. The hydroisomerization process
has gained attention, as it produces very
high-quality base oil. These hydroisomerization
technologies are now widely accepted
and adopted around the globe and
have created an abundant supply of base
oils that show excellent low-temperature
performance and stability.
Over time, polyalphaolefins (PAOs)
have shown superior performance characteristics,
including volatility, pour
point, viscosity index and oxidation
stability, unlike any other conventional
mineral oils. Additionally, with the use
of modern base oil manufacturing, pour
point, viscosity index, oxidation stability
and volatility can be controlled independently.
Based on these properties, various
base oils can be differentiated and used
for different purposes.
The current trend in the base oil industry
is toward manufacturing base oils
and lubricants with higher purity, longer
life and lower volatility. The demand for
base oils with higher lubrication performance
has increased, as they offer better
hydroprocessing catalysts, process improvement
and feedstock.
One of the prime base oil feedstocks
is natural gas. Over the last few decades,
the industry has witnessed the advent of
a new ultra-performance base oil that is
derived from wax, which in turn is derived
from natural gas. This base oil has
higher PAOs than conventional base oils
and can be used to make long-life, fuelefficient
automotive and industrial oils.
While conventional methods of
manufacturing base oils have proven to
be effective, several market players have
introduced competing technologies that
can maintain and improve the quality of
traditional synthetic oils. New and improved
base oils will help automotive and
equipment manufacturers meet industry
standards and the demand for cleaner,
better lubricants.
As base oil technology evolves, customers
will gain improved protection of
automobiles and expensive machinery,
including turbines. The performance of
lubricants affects almost
all industries
globally and base oil development will
open new market opportunities.
Market development and the
launch of new base oils. As the demand
for base oils has increased significantly
in the automotive industry, several
companies have launched novel base
oils derived from innovative resources
and using state-of-the-art technologies.
For instance, Nynas AB, a leading
manufacturer of specialty naphthenic
oils and bitumen products, launched a
highly refined base oila
with an optimized
viscosity index for maximum cooling and
better ability to blend with other base
oils. According to the company, the lowtemperature
performance of the base oil
is better than existing products at similar
viscosity. Moreover, it has been carefully
developed to meet the ever-increasing
demand for a grade with a high naphthenic
character. The company says its
base oil has enough versatility to perform
in stable emulsions and in different lubricant
applications. It has high naphthenic,
carbon type content as well as suitable
aniline point, and can serve as an ideal
fit in metalworking fluids formations, including
emulsion coolants and industrial
lubricant applications.
Similarly, Croda Intl. Plc, a UK-based
leading specialty chemical company,
launched a new dielectric ester base oil
for electric vehicle (EV) transmission
Hydrocarbon Processing | OCTOBER 2022 9
Hydrocarbon Processing - October 2022

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