Rapidly biodegradable lubricants

Hydraulic fluids make up approximately 13 - 14% of total lubricant consumption in Germany. As such, hydraulic oils have a significant share of the lubricant market. Some 80 - 85% of hydraulic fluids are pressure oils based on mineral oil. 

Environmentally friendly, rapidly biodegradable pressure fluids have been developed primarily with a high level of environmental compatibility in mind. These generally contain heavy metal-free, toxicologically harmless additives and additive systems and are used in both mobile and stationary systems. They are claiming a growing share of the market and are replacing mineral oil-based hydraulic fluids in numerous areas, in particular in the field of mobile hydraulic applications. 

Fluids are allocated in accordance with the main component in the base oil. DIN ISO 15380 contains requirements with regard to environmental compatibility as well as technical performance.

All PLANTO pressure fluids from FUCHS like:

• PLANTOSYN
• PLANTOLUBE

are produced on the basis of synthetic esters (saturated or partially saturated) and fulfill and surpass the requirements of DIN ISO 15380. 

The newly developed, biodegradable commercial vehicle engine oil PLANTO MOT SAE 10W-40 is designed for use in both on- and off-highway applications. Only recently it has been the first and so far only biodegradable engine oil to receive the official DEUTZ DQC IV-18 LA approval.

The new engine oil is the result of a successful, long-term cooperation between the engine manufacturer and the product management and research and development departments of FUCHS SCHMIERSTOFFE. But what distinguishes the newly developed PLANTO MOT SAE 10W-40 from conventional heavy-duty engine oils?

"This approval represents the highest performance level in the Deutz specification framework. Limited ash engine oils with this DEUTZ approval are intended for engines with maximum output and maximum thermal load, such as those in steel piston engines, as well as for engines with high demands on piston cleanliness and extended oil change intervals", explains Daniel Stern, product management automotive OEM at FUCHS SCHMIERSTOFFE GMBH, the special feature of this OEM approval. As a further feature, the application engineer emphasises that the engine oil is not only particularly environmentally friendly - PLANTO MOT SAE 10W-40 is biodegradable according to OECD 301B >60% and has a proportion of renewable raw materials >25% according to ASTM D6866- and thus contributes to the increasing challenges in environmental protection and sustainable development. "In the past, biodegradable engine oils often tended to attack seals and other plastics in the engine and thus negatively affect sealing performance. That is now history. Seal compatibility was a central requirement in FUCHS' development specification for the new PLANTO MOT SAE 10W-40. FUCHS has successfully passed all elastomer compatibility tests required by API and ACEA in their current engine oil specifications. This enables us to successfully meet the engine manufacturers' doubts about the sealing compatibility of this modern engine oil."