VBASE Oil Company will add high performance, biobased products to lubricant market
Tetramer is excited to announce the formation of VBASE™ Oil Company (vbaseoil.com and linkedin.com/company/vbaseoil) to commercialize high performance, environmentally acceptable industrial base oils and lubricants developed by Tetramer.
Tetramer’s team of scientists and engineers designed the VBASE base oils with a new molecular structure to create a new class of synthetic esters that outperform traditional esters without compromising the need for environmentally acceptable and sustainable lubricating solutions.
A base oil is the major component in a formulated lubricant. Additives are blended with the selected base oil to optimize a lubricant’s performance for a specific application. By focusing on the sale of high performance base oils, the VBASE Oil Company will launch this highly sustainable technology into a wide range of industries.
In addition to base oils, VBASE Oil Co. will offer the first environmentally acceptable synthetic ester specifically designed for hydropower dams, Hydro T-EL™. This lubricant has outperformed the industry leading petroleum products and exceeded major OEM turbine requirements in rig testing.
“We are all proud of the work the Tetramer team has done to transition this technology to the market. The VBASE™ Oil Company is our opportunity to provide lubricant formulators with a base oil that is capable of improving efficiency with a holistic focus on sustainable solutions.”
Tetramer CEO Jeffrey DiMaio, PhD
Environmentally Acceptable: Biobased, Non-Toxic, Biodegradable, Non-Bioaccumulating
The developed oils meet and exceed requirements for environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs). VBASE base oils are biobased with bio content verified by the USDA BioPreferred program. Toxicity tests confirm the oils have no measurable toxicity. Biodegradability testing has confirmed the highest levels of biodegradation. Finally, bioaccumulation testing shows the oils to be non-bioaccumulating.
Sustainability and Circular Solutions for Used Oils
The desire for sustainable solutions for companies in every industry has never been greater. By developing VBASE oils with improved efficiency and greater stability, oil lifetimes are extended. This reduces both energy consumption and materials consumption. At the end of oil life, VBASE plans to work with our customers to bring used oil back for reconditioning, repurposing, or remanufacturing. We are currently working to develop methods to maximize reused content in remanufactured oils.
Users and Applications
Lubricant manufacturers can use VBASE base oils in their lubricants to provide a sustainable, environmentally sound solution without sacrificing performance. Customers of VBASE Oil Co. include large blenders, independent lubricant formulators, and OEMs. VBASE base oils are suitable for use in a variety of lubricants such as transmission oils, greases, gear oils, universal tractor fluids, hydraulic oils, steam and gas turbine oils, wind turbine oils, and hydropower turbine oils.
Potential Market Size
The global biobased lubricants market is expected to be $4.4B with a 2.6% CAGR in 2024 and the US biobased lubricants market is expected to be $1.3B with 2.3% CAGR in 2024. With exemplary performance and proven environmental acceptability, VBASE product offerings are expected to be disruptive within this market.
Impact in South Carolina
Tetramer’s work to develop and launch VBASE base oils should have international reach, but the many industries thriving in South Carolina can also benefit. A wide variety of SC industries face lubrication challenges that require environmentally sound solutions. Automotive manufacturers are looking for methods to decrease their carbon footprint in traditional vehicles, while electric vehicles present a whole new set of requirements for lubricants. Wind turbines have performance requirements that are pushing conventional lubricants to their limits, and in aviation, new lubricants are needed to handle the stresses of new geared turbofans.
“VBASE base oils create new performance capabilities that we are excited to share with partners in South Carolina. Everyone tends to think of base oils as old technology, but it is, in fact, a constantly evolving industry working to meet the needs of new applications and new performance requirements. We are excited that companies like BMW, Volvo, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and GE are all here in the Palmetto State making high performance products that could benefit from high performance VBASE base oils.“
Tetramer CEO Jeffrey DiMaio, PhD
As an advanced materials company in the Upstate for the last twenty years, Tetramer has watched technology and innovation grow tremendously in this area. We are grateful to be launch VBASE Oil Co. in a region poised to incubate new technologies.
Tetramer is the kind of company we are talking about when we say we want to recruit new technologies and new thinking. Their decision to reinvest in our community with VBASE helps us show other advanced materials companies that Anderson County is the place to be.”
Brett Sanders, County Council, Anderson County District 4
Tetramer Technologies, LLC
Tetramer is an advanced materials company dedicated to the development of new, market driven materials and transitioning those materials from the lab to the market or battlefield. Tetramer scientists and engineers excel in materials research and development, scale up, and manufacturing of proprietary advanced materials. We provide customized support from molecule to manufacturing for our partners in industry, defense and energy sectors, and new ventures. (www.tetramer.com)
VBASE Oil Company
VBASE™ Oil Company is a base oil supplier producing high performance, proprietary synthetic esters that are also environmentally acceptable. With viscosity grades ranging from 32 to 460, VBASE enables the greatest energy savings while minimizing environmental impact. This is accomplished with a focus on sustainability in production, use, and at the end of the lifecycle. Sustainable lubrication reduces fuel consumption and emissions by increasing overall equipment efficiency. (www.vbaseoil.com)
