The Dow Chemical Company Lubricants and Fuel Additives
Building a Better Food Grade Lubricant
By Lisa Inoue, Strategic Marketing Leader and Dr. Martin Greaves, Research Leader | TLT CMF Plus November 2014
UCONTM™ OSP HX-1 Base Stocks and Additives by Dow
Food safety is the first responsibility of any company that manufactures edible products. While voluntary, NSF registration is the generally recognized industry standard for classifying H-1 lubricants and their HX-1 ingredients as safe for food manufacturing in the United States and globally.
Behind every reliable H-1 lubricant are registered HX-1 base fluids and additives like UCON™ Oil Soluble Polyalkylene Glycols (OSP). UCON OSP is a line of high performance synthetic fluids that deliver all the important attributes of a top-tier base or additive, with the added benefits of being inert, colorless and internationally approved for use in food processing.
Lubricants aren’t intended to come in contact with food. Unfortunately they sometimes do, and lubricant makers want a trusted name they can stand by with assurance. Permitted for use by the US FDA under the Code of Federal Regulations 21 C.F.R. § 178.3570 (2014), UCON OSP achieves the prestigious NSF International HX-1 ranking for use in and around food processing equipment and operations.
“PAOs seem to be limited in some very high temperature applications. We have found that OSP can provide the extra performance you need in the most rigorous applications.”
– Eric Lancaster, Director Industrial Products, Phillips 66 Company (Maker of Food Machinery Grease)
The food and beverage industry presents one of the most demanding challenges for lubricants that must be H-1 compliant without sacrificing performance. More lubricant makers are turning to UCON™ OSP to meet stringent industry requirements. OSP can perform well in very high temperature environments and deliver great service life. OSP is also an excellent deposit control additive and can boost the performance of hydrocarbon oils by solubilizing their degradation products to maintain fluid and equipment cleanliness. Inclusion of an OSP into other registered NSF base oils may help upgrade performance in equipment used in the food processing industry.
NSF REGISTERED
FDA – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits the use of certain chemical substances in the food-processing industry.
21 CFR 178.3570 – The U.S. FDA Code of Federal Regulations Title, Part and Section addressing the provisions for which lubricants with incidental food contact may be used in food processing and preparation (
1).
NSF – The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is a non-profit, non-governmental corporation that registers substances intended for use in food processing and production. Registration is voluntary and requires a review of substances and ingredients with a list of compounds known to be “safe” for consumption, at micro levels, resulting from incidental food contact. Incidental food contact relates to applications where it is possible for micro concentrations of a substance to come in contact with an ingestible product (pharmaceutical, food, beverage, etc.) due to leakage or other unintended means.
H-1 – The NSF designation H-1 applies to LUBRICANTS intended for use in food production that are known to be “safe” for incidental food contact at micro levels.
HX-1 – The NSF designation HX-1 applies to LUBRICANT INGREDIENTS intended for use in food production that are known to be “safe” for incidental food contact at micro levels.
In grease, there is a developing market for UCON™OSP where food grade registration is needed. Unlike Lithium Complex greases, Calcium Sulfonate greases can be H-1 classified (
3). Prior to achieving HX-1 status, UCON™OSP has been the workhorse of a new, non-food grade Calcium Sulfonate grease purposed for extreme operating environments. With excellent oxidative and thermal stability, long life, a dropping point of 575°F / 300°C (ASTM D2265) and just 2% water washout (ASTM D1264), OSP-based Calcium Sulfonate grease exhibits unique staying power.
For H-1 gear oils, UCON™ OSP offers an alternative to esters in PAO formulations. Esters are often used with PAOs as a seal swell additive, but are notoriously prone to hydrolysis in wet environments, causing lubricants to degrade prematurely. OSP has been found to impart better hydrolytic stability, as well as a higher degree of cleanliness and solvency power due to its very low aniline point.
The UCON™ OSP product line ranges from biodegradable to bioresistant, in a range of grades to meet your low or high viscosity needs (
3).
Food-grade lubricants powered by Dow UCON™OSP can offer greater peace of mind. To speak with an expert, email us at
OSP@dow.com.
Oil Soluble PAGs can provide formulators another option for adding back some solvency power to Group II, III and IV base oils.
Product Stewardship: Dow has a fundamental concern for all who make, distribute, and use its products, and for the environment in which we live. This concern is the basis for our product stewardship philosophy by which we assess the safety, health, and environmental information on our products and then take appropriate steps to protect employee and public health and our environment. The success of our product stewardship program rests with each and every individual involved with Dow products - from the initial concept and research, to manufacture, use, sale, disposal, and recycle of each product.
Customer Notice: Dow strongly encourages its customers to review both their manufacturing processes and their applications of Dow products from the standpoint of human health and environmental quality to ensure that Dow products are not used in ways for which they are not intended or tested. Dow personnel are available to answer your questions and to provide reasonable technical support. Dow product literature, including safety data sheets, should be consulted prior to use of Dow products. Current safety data sheets are available from Dow.
References
1.
NSF International, retrieved September 2014 from
here.
2.
Mackwood, W., Muir, R., “Calcium Sulfonate Complex Grease: The Next-generation Food Machinery Grease” NLGI Spokesman, 17, 2003.
3.
UCON™ OSP grades currently registered as HX-1 include OSP-32, 46, 68, 150, 220.
®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
NOTICE: No freedom from infringement of any patent owned by Dow or others is to be inferred. Because use conditions and applicable laws may differ from one location to another and may change with time, Customer is responsible for determining whether products and the information in this document are appropriate for Customer’s use and for ensuring that Customer’s workplace and disposal practices are in compliance with applicable laws and other government enactments. The product shown in this literature may not be available for sale and/or available in all geographies where Dow is represented. The claims made may not have been approved for use in all countries. Dow assumes no obligation or liability for the information in this document. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean the Dow legal entity selling the products to Customer unless otherwise expressly noted. NO WARRANTIES ARE GIVEN; ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED.