The biodegradability and microbial toxicity testing of lubricants – some recommendations

In recent years there has been a growing demand for information on the biodegradability (fate) and microbial toxicity (effects) of lubricants. This has been driven by the need to comply with environmental legislation and to meet the requirements of ecolabelling schemes, standards and customer specifications for ‘environmentally acceptableʹ lubricants. This paper describes suitable approaches for generating this information under a variety of environmental conditions (e.g. aerobic, anaerobic, freshwater, marine), gives examples of the results obtained and discusses their interpretation. Recommendations on the use of each test are made.