AXEL News & Blog

What does “sustainable grease” actually mean for your application?

Sustainability requirements in industry are evolving rapidly, driven by both legislation and customer expectations. At the same time, Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) has become one of the most visible and widely used metrics for environmental impact.
But while PCF is an important tool, it does not tell the whole story. When used on its own, it can lead to decisions that look good on paper – but perform worse in practice.

This article aims to explain why sustainability in lubricating grease cannot be reduced to a single number, and how a more application-driven perspective leads to better environmental and business decisions.

Questions we often hear from customers and the industry:

• •    Which lubricating grease is most sustainable for my application?
• •    How should we weigh carbon footprint against other environmental aspects?
• •    Is it really better to switch to a grease with lower PCF, even if its service life is shorter?

Do these questions reflect the challenges your business faces as well? Read on to get a better understanding.

I am pleased to announce that Geoffrey (Geof) Colpitts has been appointed as Interim-President for Axel Americas and Axel Royal, effective as of February 1.

Geof has been working with Axel US since early 2024 as a consultant from The Persimmon Group to drive operational improvements.

Announcement – CEO AXEL Group

I am pleased to announce that the Board of Directors at AXEL Christiernsson International AB have appointed Peter Lagerlöf as CEO of the AXEL Group, effective as of today.

Peter brings extensive experience as a business leader in the industry with a proven track record of driving growth and profitability. His most recent position was as CEO of Centriair, a company specialized in industrial odor treatment. Prior experiences include over 15 years at Emerson in a variety of global leadership roles, both in Sweden and USA. Peter holds a Master of Science in Engineering Physics from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 26^th, 2024  

AXEL Royal Tulsa Facility Recovers Swiftly Following Fire Incident

TULSA, OK - AXEL Royal demonstrated exceptional emergency response and operational resilience following a fire at its Tulsa facility. The incident, which occurred at approximately 10:00 AM last Tuesday in the exterior western part of the oil blending unit, was successfully contained and extinguished by 2:00 PM the same day, thanks to the swift action of AXEL team members, the Tulsa Fire Department, and support from Holly Frontier's internal resources.

Background
Our Caliac thickener is made by a reaction process where both lithium hydroxide and either calcium hydroxide or calcium carbonate are allowed to react with fatty acids, usually 12-hydroxy-stearic acid. The ratio between the Li- and the Ca- components can be varied to achieve different properties from the thickener. The flexibility of the thickener system allows tailoring towards high load-carrying capacity and/or extreme water resistance. The Caliac thickener has properties in common with both the lithium thickener and the anhydrous calcium thickener. Typical treat rate for a NLGI 2 grease: 7 - 11 %

Background
Our Alassca thickener can be described as a combination of a lithium complex soap and sarcosylic calcium gel. The well-known lithium complex part forms the backbone of the thickener system and provides increased oil bleed and lubricity, and lowers total thickener content. This is important for successful use at lower temperatures. The attachment of the calcium gel to the lithium complex soap increases surface affinity and, thereby, the efficiency of these active components, providing resistance to extreme pressure, water, and corrosion. The thickener system is durable and contributes to surface separation, which means less reliance on the very high viscosity of the oil phase, in opposition to traditional aluminum complex and inorganic clay thickeners.

At the 2024 NLGI Annual Meeting, AXEL’s Prof. Johan Leckner presented a paper co-authored with Gabriel Calderon-Salmeron and Prof. Sergei Glavatskih of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. The paper illustrates how friction losses in electrical motor bearings can be accurately measured under a wide range of speed conditions.

AXEL’s Prof. Johan Leckner and Johanna Larsson present a comparative investigation between simple lithium and anhydrous calcium greases: “Can Calcium Limit Lithium ReLiance?”

The main finding is that the performance of anhydrous calcium greases, up to 140°C, is at least equal, if not better, than simple lithium greases.

AXEL will have its own booth and deliver presentations at the ALIA/F&L Asia Lubricant Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from September 9 to 11, 2024. As AXEL continues its international expansion, our presence at this event further demonstrates our commitment to serving our global and regional customers in this important region of the world.

Following another successful ELGI AGM with a record attendance exceeding 400 delegates, the ELGI Sustainability Technical Consortium (STC) was invited to gather for an additional day of discussion in the Spanish Capital.

The ELGI STC consists of five Task Forces focused on Communication and Regulation, Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), End User, End-of-Life, and Life Cycle Analysis. It has been established to ensure that all aspects of the grease value chain are duly considered in relation to sustainability.