"Renewable Lubricants" brand - wanted to share here

[cwilliamsws6]

Stumbled across this brand, "Renewable Lubricants" earlier today and started doing some digging. I was especially interested because it claimed to meet GL-5, SN and SM.

Here is the direct link to the specific product I was interested in, and if you go to the "Products" area of their site, you can see their other offerings.

I clicked the link to the MSDS for their 5w30 and this line caught my interest:
Base oil components – >30% is readily biodegradable – 70% is inherently biodegradable
Product Tested inherently biodegradable >21% in 28 days ASTM D-5864

If I am understanding this correctly, doesn't this mean this oil is 100% biodegradable? And if that is the case, then is this a true 100% bio-based oil?

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong or feel free to weigh in your own thoughts.

 

[paulri]

Since you asked us to weigh in--

From their page for their 0w20 offering:
While no formal engine oil license performance is implied or guaranteed in this formulation, (unlicensed formula) the key physical properties have been met as defined by SAE J300, and the formula passed the tests required for API and ILSAC base oil interchange.

That's gonna make it real popular around here.

They want $55.91 for a 4 quarts of 0w20. I'm willing to consider environmentally friendly oil. I was considering using Valvoline's NextGen until I realized that the only way to get it was to special order through a local NAPA, $81 for 15 quarts at a time. I'd be willing to try this, but the price would have to come down, and I'd want to see those oil tests/specs passed. From what I read, the oil hasn't passed them.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Tempted to buy a single quart and send some out for a VOA.

If it ends up looking promising I may buy some and actually run it to see how it does.

 

[CleverUserName]

I've been using their 10w30 and 15w40 for about 4 years in 4 different diesel vehicles. It is good oil and has some unique properties vs. petroleum based synthetic oils.

My longest oil change has been 13K miles with it. I suspect it would be good to 15K miles based on TBN retention and slowly working my way up to that interval with my Cruze diesel. I have multiple used and virgin oil analysis posted on here with 10w30 and 10w40 including use of their booster pak additive.

The price has gotten expensive in the last couple of years, I remember the last time I got some in 2018 is was around $45 a gallon. I usually get my stuff from Zoro when they have a 20% off coupon code. Based on the escalating price I'm going to start using other oils but my mother loves it for her 2006 TDI and she doesn't care about the co$t

 

[MolaKule]

Stumbled across this brand, "Renewable Lubricants" earlier today and started doing some digging. I was especially interested because it claimed to meet GL-5, SN and SM.

Here is the direct link to the specific product I was interested in, and if you go to the "Products" area of their site, you can see their other offerings.

I clicked the link to the MSDS for their 5w30 and this line caught my interest:
Base oil components – >30% is readily biodegradable – 70% is inherently biodegradable
Product Tested inherently biodegradable >21% in 28 days ASTM D-5864

If I am understanding this correctly, doesn't this mean this oil is 100% biodegradable? And if that is the case, then is this a true 100% bio-based oil?

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong or feel free to weigh in your own thoughts.

May I suggest we analyze this one piece at a time.

The > 30% readily biodegradable base oil component is most likely a corn oil derivative or similar vegetable oil. Readily biodegradable is defined as the ability of a product to biodegrade quickly and completely (≥ 60% by OECD 301A-F/ASTM D7373 testing) within 28 days.

The other base oil component (70%) is Inherently biodegradable and is defined as > 20% but < 60% biodegradability in > 28 days as measured by OECD 301A-F testing. This characteristic is defined by the original composition of the product. This base oil component may be a synthesized ester or PAO or a combination of the two.

The COMBINATION (the totality of the formulation) of the two base oils and the DI additive package and VII was tested and the tests showed the complete formulated oil was inherently biodegradable at >21% in 28 days according to ASTM D-5864 testing. So 79% of the product ultimately biodegrades in greater than 28 days.

Biodegradability is not an exact science today and its definitions and testing procedures are still being refined.

 

[MolaKule]

I've been using their 10w30 and 15w40 for about 4 years in 4 different diesel vehicles. It is good oil and has some unique properties vs. petroleum based synthetic oils.

My longest oil change has been 13K miles with it. I suspect it would be good to 15K miles based on TBN retention and slowly working my way up to that interval with my Cruze diesel. I have multiple used and virgin oil analysis posted on here with 10w30 and 10w40 including use of their booster pak additive.

The price has gotten expensive in the last couple of years, I remember the last time I got some in 2018 is was around $45 a gallon. I usually get my stuff from Zoro when they have a 20% off coupon code. Based on the escalating price I'm going to start using other oils but my mother loves it for her 2006 TDI and she doesn't care about the co$t

Yes, the DI (additive package) is not your run-of-the-mill add pack. It is a specially formulated DI package to be compatible with the base oils used and is more costly than other DI packages.

 

[SR5]

May I suggest we analyze this one piece at a time.

Thank you, well explained.

 

[OVERKILL]

RLI got a lot of discussion on here a few years back. IIRC, Terry Dyson was recommending it and we had a few members using it. Discussion had tapered off so it is interesting to see it being mentioned again.

 

[MolaKule]

Yes, the DI (additive package) is not your run-of-the-mill add pack. It is a specially formulated DI package to be compatible with the base oils used and is more costly than other DI packages.

Just an added note. Naturally derived oils (especially plant derived oils) have a higher oxidation potential so more powerful and costly anti-oxidant combinations have to be used in the Di package to thwart this oxidation potential.

 

[paulri]

Thanks for clarifying this.

Let me ask, since a lot of used oil ends up (as long as it is being recycled) either used again as oil, or used as fuel--what is the advantage of having 21% of your motor oil biodegrading within a month? You have 1/5 less mass to process as oil or fuel? Do we know what it biodegrades into? Is that any easier to deal with, in the sense of processing it into a substance that can be used, or at least is easier for the environment?

May I suggest we analyze this one piece at a time.

The > 30% readily biodegradable base oil component is most likely a corn oil derivative or similar vegetable oil. Readily biodegradable is defined as the ability of a product to biodegrade quickly and completely (≥ 60% by OECD 301A-F/ASTM D7373 testing) within 28 days.

The other base oil component (70%) is Inherently biodegradable and is defined as > 20% but < 60% biodegradability in > 28 days as measured by OECD 301A-F testing. This characteristic is defined by the original composition of the product. This base oil component may be a synthesized ester or PAO or a combination of the two.

The COMBINATION (the totality of the formulation) of the two base oils and the DI additive package and VII was tested and the tests showed the complete formulated oil was inherently biodegradable at >21% in 28 days according to ASTM D-5864 testing. So 79% of the product ultimately biodegrades in greater than 28 days.

Biodegradability is not an exact science today and its definitions and testing procedures are still being refined.

 

[MolaKule]

Thanks for clarifying this.

Let me ask, since a lot of used oil ends up (as long as it is being recycled) either used again as oil, or used as fuel--what is the advantage of having 21% of your motor oil biodegrading within a month? You have 1/5 less mass to process as oil or fuel? Do we know what it biodegrades into? Is that any easier to deal with, in the sense of processing it into a substance that can be used, or at least is easier for the environment?

Biodegradation of hydrocarbon molecules can occur in the presence of UV energy, or can be degraded by soil and water organisms.

The amount of degradation, and the time it takes for hydrocarbons to degrade into non-toxic molecules and atoms, is determined by the internal molecular structure of the original hydrocarbon, and the type and amount of organisms "attacking" it. Biodegradation tests are generally done with specific soil and water organisms in a laboratory environment.

So the main advantage of using biodegradable base oils is to reduce the environmental impact from oil released into the environment.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Thanks everybody for weighing in, I wasn't expecting it to gain as much traction as it did.

Honestly I like what I've heard and seen so far and I may give it a try when I need to buy more oil.

 

[UG_Passat]

It's not really a new brand. There are threads dating back around 15 years ago, back during the Super Secret 5w40 thread, with RI_RS6 and Terry Dyson were actively involved.

RL is big on copper and antimony as part of their additive package. So a UOA may show a lot of copper which can be a false negative.