The climate change levy and other environmental issues

Citation

(2002), "The climate change levy and other environmental issues", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 54 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2002.01854cab.001

The climate change levy and other environmental issues

The climate change levy and other environmental issuesKeywords: Environment, Climate, Noria

Martin Williamson, of Noria UK Limited, provides some thought-provoking comments for lubricant users

Legislation, policies, compliance

Governments throughout the European Community are taking the climate change and environmental concerns seriously. What does this mean to the end-user? Not surprisingly, more paperwork, additional costs of production, more compliance, more auditing, and so the list goes on. But it is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. Consider this; a little over 15 years ago ISO introduced the quality standards. Did companies walk away from it because the implementation costs were too great? Certainly not; most companies used it to improve their practices, and today, we all reap the benefits of that implementation.

So it will be with the Climate Change Levy and the recent ISO 14001 policies. Companies implementing change to meet these requirements will benefit in the long term. Not just financially, but also in the sense of satisfaction that doing their bit towards the preservation of the environment brings. In the most mercenary of terms, companies cannot afford, image-wise, to be seen not complying.

But the Climate Change Levy and ISO 14001 fall short; they are not the complete answer. Sure, burning fuel emits toxic particulates. Sure, recycling paper and plastics saves landfill sites and forests. But what about lubricants? Lubricants come from the same limited reserves as do fuels. Lubricants do require disposal when exhausted. Lubricants leak from systems with gay abandon that would not be tolerated with fuels. Lubricants are consumed with gay abandon that would not be tolerated with fuels, either. Companies, quite rightly, focus on the recycling aspects for their packaging, etc., but in the author's experience, lubricants are very often overlooked. With today's emphasis on the use of synthetic fluids, these are even more toxic. Which brings more problems with disposal.

In fact, will anyone consider "best practices lubricant management" as a means to reducing power demand?

So what are the options

First, are you aware what your total system sump capacity is? Are you aware what your annual lubricant consumption is? If you have access to these figures, work out the annual consumption ratio by dividing the consumption by the capacity. Most likely, this is in excess of three? What proportion of that is leakage? These figures should be documented and regularly updated.

Second, are you purchasing your lubricants based on an OEM specification? Or are you purchasing based on your lubricant supplier's recommendations? Did your company even involve the maintenance group in the evaluation of your lubricant contract? Setting lubricant specifications requires expert input. The OEM derives theirs as a baseline for an average user. Your site is unique; set the standards according to your needs. It is you, not the OEM, that pays the price of failure.

Third, does your site even run an oil analysis programme? If you do, what action does maintenance take on a suspect oil sample? Immediately replace the oil? Take responsibility on site for oil management. Understand the root cause of the problem through effective oil analysis. This is proactive maintenance. New oil is not the answer to all ills.

Surprisingly, the answer to the above questions is often; "I simply do not know"!

Why surprisingly? While money is important to maintain the economy, would there be an economy without lubrication? The wheels of industry would literally grind to a halt. Lubrication is as critical as fuel, as critical as investment, as critical as staff to keep the cogs turning; it is the lifeblood of industry.

To those who "simply do not know", take time out to learn. To those who are "simply too busy to care", stop fire-fighting, and learn some fire prevention maintenance techniques.

Take time to learn

Understanding "best practices lubricant management" has impressive returns, financially. Companies that have reached world class levels in lubrication management saw reductions of 80 per cent in lubricant consumption, reductions of 50 per cent in unplanned downtime and equipment failure, and life extension of three times on capital plant.

What are the benefits? Their overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) has risen from a sub-standard 40 per cent to as much as 95 per cent. Increased demand in production was met without building new plants. Their pricing was more competitive, yet profits went up. Maintenance budgets typically reduced by at least 40 per cent, yet without impacting reliability. The overall cost of the lubricant per litre dropped dramatically. Consider the total cost of lubricant; factor in the purchase cost, the disposal/reclamation cost, handling, administration, inventory etc., and oil is conservatively as much as £20 per litre. Using synthetics? Then look at possibly £50 per litre.

If the financial aspects of this have not grabbed your attention then how will this benefit your company with regard to the Climate Change Levy and ISO 14001?

Reducing power consumption

Where does this fit with the Climate Change Levy? One of the key benefits to a proactive maintenance strategy with a focus on lubrication is the reduced power demand. Some studies suggest that as much as a 5 per cent reduction in power consumption can be achieved on well-lubricated systems. Consider the problem of increasing power demand as equipment ages. In one study on new diesel engines, after endurance testing with various filters, the units with better quality filters typically had 5 per cent more power and cleaner emissions than those with lower quality filtration. Consider the number of vehicles in use daily and then try to estimate the fuel savings and emission reduction if all this single upgrade could be implemented.

Reducing lubricant disposal

How will reducing lubricant consumption benefit the environment? Aside from the commercial implications of extending lubricant life, using lubricants more effectively will reduce current demand on resources. As mentioned already, liquid/gaseous fuels and lubricants are generally derived from the same source, hence reducing the consumption of both is mandatory to achieving meaningful benefits to the environment. But it is not just the consumption of the reserves in the case of the lubricants. Fuels burn off, and it is the disposal of the emissions that must be controlled. Lubricants unfortunately, when exhausted, remain in a liquid, toxic form that must be disposed correctly. Alternatives to straight disposal exist, such as re-refining or reclamation for other purposes such as fuels. However, severely exhausted lubricants are often impractical for reclamation and contain severely toxic acids as a result of the over-extended oxidation that has taken place. Better management of the lubricants in service will ensure that they remain at least fit for further use elsewhere. Management of leakage is another key area that has to be addressed, particularly in the case of outdoor or mobile plant. Consider a small drop of oil the size of a 20p coin leaking at the rate of one drop per minute, that is over 2L of oil lost per day. Forget the financial losses, that is 2L of toxic oil polluting the earth. Multiply that out by the number of systems guilty of such acts across Europe, and the end result is devastating. Filter change-out frequency is also reduced in better maintained systems, and again the impact of disposing of the oil-soaked element is reduced.

Who is responsible?

Everyone has the responsibility to manage their lubricants more effectively, whether it is ensuring that their private vehicle is maintained properly or ensuring that "best practices lubricant management" is undertaken on site, and corporate wide. Having said that, lubricant suppliers should also look to other avenues of revenue and ensure their clients are motivated to reduce their lubricant consumption. Ultimately, it is up to the governing bodies to recognise the impact of lubrication and the role it has with regard to the environment. Lobbying by independent bodies will hopefully draw their attention to this.

How should end-users tackle the problem? Educate your staff in the business of a lubricant focused proactive maintenance strategy. Have an independent expert audit your site to establish a lubricant efficiency index (LEI), and use the findings to establish an improvement strategy. Implement the changes and continually audit the site to ensure that the LEI improves year on year. And whilst the public appreciate your efforts at conserving our environment, sit back and enjoy the financial gains.

For further information, contact: Martin Williamson, Noria UK Ltd, PO Box 3156, Chester, Cheshire, CH4 7WE, UK. Tel:+44 1244 659381; E-mail: mwilliamson@noria.co.uk