Fujifilm develops “green” lube additive

Fujifilm Corp. said that it was able to develop a lubricant additive that could enhance lubricant performance and make it more environmentally friendly. The additive increases the anti-friction properties of a lubricant and also allows it to be free of pollutants like heavy metals by consisting only of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The company plans to promote the additive to makers of engine oils, industrial lubricants, machine oils, cutting oils and greases. The additive’s viscosity remains low even under high pressure, Fujifilm claimed, and it can curb a rise in the viscosity of lubricants by about 30%. With Fujifilm’s proprietary dispersion technology, the molecules would be concentrated on friction/sliding areas and the size of molecular aggregates in the additive varies within a range of 30 to 700 nanometers, depending on temperature, forming a flexible film between surfaces. The fluid lubricity of the new additive would not involve chemical reactions, allowing its use with a variety of materials including iron, plastics and ceramics, the company said. (June 30, 2009)