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LANXESS AG (Cologne, Germany) and Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. (Woodridge, IL, US), have joined forces to commercialize an innovative high viscosity base stock for industrial and transportation lubricants. Elevance Aria® WTP 40 contains polymer molecules engineered to provide advantageous performance and ease of use. The unique molecular structure of WTP 40 provides exceptional lubricant film thickness and protection against friction and wear under severe conditions including boundary lubrication. Breakthroughs in catalyst and manufacturing technologies are used to synthesize WTP 40, an esterfunctionalized PAO, from esters and linear alpha olefins.
Suggested applications of WTP 40 (kinetic viscosity 40 cSt at 100 °C) range from transportation driveline and engine lubricants to industrial gear box oils, compressor oils, metalworking fluids, hydraulic fluids and lubricating greases. WTP 40 is compatible with mineral oils and many other synthetic base stocks. It is registered as an HX-1 additive for food grade lubricants. Because WTP 40 is obtained partially from bio-based materials, it can contribute to sustainability criteria for environmentally advantaged lubricants.
A New Partnership
Multinational specialty chemicals company LANXESS was formed in 2004 from the chemicals division and parts of the polymers business of Bayer AG. Effective April 21, 2017, LANXESS successfully completed the acquisition of Chemtura Corp. (Philadelphia, PA, US) and merged Chemtura's Petroleum Additives and Bromine Solutions segments with their Rhein Chemie Additives business unit to form a new Specialty Additives segment.
One of their first strategic moves was to secure global rights to develop, create derivatives, manufacture, use and sell Elevance Aria® WTP base stock technology.
According to David Stonecipher, Strategy & Business Development Manager, Business Unit Additives, LANXESS Solutions US Inc., "Our Lubricant Additives Business offers a comprehensive line of products, from synthetic base fluids to single additives and additive packages, to fully formulated specialty lubricants, which help our customers lubricate all kinds of engines, transportation equipment and industrial machinery.
"We licensed WTP base stock technology from Elevance because we feel confident that we can help formulators experiment with this exciting new base stock chemistry and develop valueadded lubricants...