Insights · since 2010
Notes from the bench, not the brochure.
Dated analysis for grease plants, blenders and reliability engineers — thickeners, lithium alternatives, EPR, patents as prior art, and what a test method actually measures. Written by an independent formulation practice in New Delhi.
Used-Oil EPR India 2026–27: The 20% Recycling Target Blenders Cannot Ignore
For FY 2026–27 the CPCB used-oil EPR target is 20% of base oil or lubricating oil sold or imported two years earlier…
BIS IS 7623 Grease: What the Amended Standard Expects from Manufacturers
IS 7623 now covers multipurpose industrial greases across thickener types, not only the old lithium default. A licence still needs a recognised…
How to Start a Grease Plant in India: Capex, Licence and the First SKU
A minimum calcium-grease line is a 200 kg jacketed kettle, filter, filler and penetrometer. Lithium needs tighter process control. The first SKU…
Private-Label Lubricants vs Owning the Formula: A Decision Guide
Private label gets you a drum with your sticker next month. Owning the formula gets you cost control, export files and a…
An Indian Biodegradable Grease Patent: Ester Base, Lithium Complex, OECD 301B
IN 202411012294 (filed Feb 2024) cooks a lithium-complex soap in a synthetic ester claimed at 70–90 wt% with OECD 301B ready biodegradability…
Zinc–Alkali Mixed Complex Grease: IOCL’s Open-Kettle Lithium Alternative
IOCL’s US 2024/0209279 is a single-step open-kettle zinc–alkali/alkaline-earth mixed complex with low thickener content and drop point 180–300 °C. It is aimed…
EV Spline-Coupling Grease: IOCL’s R&D Problem Statement, Translated
NLGI 2026 schedules IOCL R&D (Dr V. Manohar) on grease for EV spline coupling lubrication. Splines see sliding, fretting and temperature that…
Making Polyurea Grease Without a Lithium Plant’s Habits: Isocyanate EHS
Polyurea is the EV-ready thickener. It is also an isocyanate process. A lithium SOP (LiOH, 12-HSA, open kettle) does not cover MDI/TDI…
What a Jaipur Bearing Lab Found When It Ranked EV Greases
National Engineering Industries, Jaipur, with the University of Ljubljana, ranked four greases for EV motor bearings (Lubricants, Mar 2025): polyurea-ester (with IL)…
Titanium Complex Grease: An Older Indian Patent Worth Revisiting
IOCL’s US 7,767,634 (2010) combined a titanium complex grease with mineral/synthetic oil and a conventional soap (LiX, CaSX or AlX). Drop point,…