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Key Criteria
Large volumes of rail curve lubricants are used in rail networks globally to help extend the life of the rail track and train wheels by minimising friction and wear at the wheel/rail interface. The lubricants used are part of what’s known as a ‘total loss’ system, in that once the grease has done its job at the gauge face of the rail, it is deposited onto the track bed and into the environment. That is why when selecting a gauge face grease for your network, it is imperative that you consider the environmental properties of a grease so that your impact on the environment and sensitive ecosystems is minimised.
There are a lot of environmental terms and claims used in the lubricants industry, this guide attempts to take a closer look at the common environmental terms and phrases, explain what they mean and how they are measured, and most importantly what that means for the end user and the sensitive ecosystems that your rail network passes through.
The biodegradability of a product is measured by the length of time its materials take to break down into natural elements after use. The quicker the substances within a rail lubricant decompose, the higher the rate of biodegradability and the less impact it will have on the environment.
The biodegradability of a product is measured through the internationally accepted OECD 301 (A-F) testing standards. There is other test methods used, including CEC-L-33-A-93, although OECD 301 tests are beginning to replace these and are becoming the industry standard. OECB 301B is most commonly used for greases; this method uses respirometry to determine the biodegradability of a material by evaluating how much CO2 a microorganism can produce over a minimum of 28 days in a liquid environment.
A mixture that degrades to 60% CO2 inside a 28-day study.
A mixture that degrades to between 20% and 60% CO2 inside a 28-day study.
A mixture that degrades to less than 20% CO2 inside a 28-day study.
Testing a lubricant’s biodegradability can give you more knowledge about the persistence of a product, how long it will take to decompose after use and how harmful it could be to its surrounding environment. Knowing this can help you comply with environmental legislation and standards, as well as satisfy your customer’s demand for more sustainable ways to run your network.
When you consider that rail networks are some of the world’s biggest landowners, using a biodegradable grease is significant as it provides reassurance that at the end of its useful life, it will breakdown into harmless compounds or substances. However, having a biodegradable grease will not affect performance as it will only breakdown at the end of its life and not when it is required to perform on the rail track.
Bioaccumulation is defined as the build-up of something inside an organism by all possible means, including contact, respiration and ingestion. It doesn’t necessarily need to be toxic as some toxins break down into harmless substances quickly before they can affect living things. Other toxins do not do this and are absorbed by them. For example, Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic that are formed from larger pieces of plastic, such as drinks bottles and plastic bags, which break down slowly. Microplastics bioaccumulate in fish.
In addition, DDT is an insecticide that can pass up the food chain from insects, all the way to birds of prey because it cannot be excreted. DDT was found to weaken bird eggshells, making them so fragile that they often broke under the weight of the parents during incubation. This harmful impact led to the chemical being banned.
PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals known for their inability to break down in the environment, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.” Linked to serious health risks in humans, some have been banned through government regulations, but many are still widely used, with their full toxic impacts yet to be understood.
In these scenarios, the organism is at risk of chronic poisoning if the foreign substance cannot be excreted quicker than it is absorbed. Therefore, the lower the levels of bioaccumulation, the better a product is for the organisms, species and wildlife in their habitats, and the wider environment.
A typical test for the bioaccumulation of a substance is OECD 105. This is measured by establishing its partition coefficient (expressed as log Kow) in octanol and water.
If a partition coefficient is low, then a substance will be unable to bioaccumulate as it will not leave any surrounding water for an organism to absorb. Any that did would leach back out quickly. If a partition coefficient is high, then a substance will also be unable to bioaccumulate as it will not leach out of the grease/oil/etc. and into the aquatic environment to be absorbed by an organism.
However, if the partition coefficient is somewhere between these two parameters, then it may have the potential to bioaccumulate, and further testing could be required.
These tests include OECD 305 (bioaccumulation in fish); in these scenarios, a substance is introduced into the water for some weeks and the concentration in the fishes’ tissues established after a set period.
Choosing a grease that contains non-bio accumulative components means you are less likely to have an adverse impact on living organisms or their sensitive eco-systems. Ensuring the products you use do not build up in the environment over time is a critical part of ‘working sustainably’ to support your wider Environmental policies.
Aquatic toxicity is usually determined on organisms representing the trophic levels of the food chain, i.e. vertebrates (fish), invertebrates (crustaceans, such as daphnia) and plants (algae).
The preferred test is OECD 201 and determines the effects of a substance on the growth of freshwater microalgae and/or cyanobacteria. Test organisms are exposed to the test substance in batch cultures over a period of normally 72 hours and growth/growth inhibition is measured and assessed. The average growth rate during the exposure period is used to determine the concentration bringing about a specified inhibition of growth.
The tests for fish and daphnia are OECD 202, 203 respectively. If possible, testing on fish are avoided at the finished product level due to concerns around animal testing. Information from substances is preferred in this instance.
The ideal requirement for substances is a NOEC (no observable effect concentration) of >=100mg/l.
Curved rail grease will always end up in waterways once it is washed off the rails, so using one that is low in aquatic toxicity is essential to reduce any environmental impact you will have on your surroundings. Your rail network will undoubtedly travel through sensitive areas such as national parks, over rivers and other waterways so this is a very important aspect of any products you use that are released into the environment.
Biobased lubricants are a form of renewable products derived from living organisms such as different types of plants, animals, fungi and algae. For example, vegetable oils from seeds are a renewable alternative to mineral oil in grease.
Typically, the renewable carbon content of a component will be measured.
The ASTM D6866 is an effective way of determining the bio-based content of a substance, and tests for carbon-14 will determine its carbon source. Carbon-14 is generated in the atmosphere by high-energy cosmic rays and has a half-life of 5,600 years.
Any substance which is millions of years old such as oil or coal will have no carbon-14 left. This means the proportion of carbon-14 detected in a sample will reveal how much is from a fossil source and how much from a renewable.
Utilising renewable sources for greases takes the pressure off our rapidly depleting non-renewable resources such as crude petroleum oil. Adopting renewable sources is not only better for the environment, it helps achieve sustainability commitments and can also be more cost-effective over time.
The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary label that indicates a product, or service that meets strict environmental criteria throughout their life cycle. The EU Ecolabel is awarded by EU countries and is third-party verified. They are designed to be transparent, non-discriminatory, and multi-criteria. They can help consumers make purchasing decisions based on environmental and social criteria.
The EU Ecolabel independently assesses a product for environmental impacts, hazards, etc. It also checks that the performance of the product is sufficient to meet the requirements that the product will face, giving the user confidence that the product will perform as well or better than a lubricant that does not have the same level of environmental credentials. The European Ecolabel is recognised throughout Europe and worldwide as a label of environmental excellence.
RS Clare prides itself on developing incredibly high performing curved rail, environmentally acceptable greases that are specially formulated to meet the most stringent environmental standards and carry the much-coveted EU Ecolabel. Click on the link below to view our EcoCurve range and decide if this is something that is right for your network and your local environment.
The European Ecolabel is recognised throughout Europe and worldwide as a label of environmental excellence.
UNRIVALLED ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS, AND ALL THE PERFORMANCE YOU NEED AT THE WHEEL-RAIL INTERFACE
“Switching to RS Clare EcoCurve Trackside has made a huge difference, especially in the summer months because the old grease was almost turning to water in summer and did not stick well to the rails so we would use much more grease. Our lubricators are now more reliable and we’re realising significant cost savings, all while protecting the environment.”
Case Studies
Read some of our latest case studies to find out more about how we have helped to improve performance at the wheel/rail interface, protect track and trains to reduce maintenance intervals/costs and provide long-term savings.
DID YOU KNOW?
ECOCURVE HEAVY HAUL IS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CURVED RAIL GREASE DESIGNED FOR HIGH VOLUME, HIGH LOAD RAIL SYSTEMS
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