Background Lubricants of mineral origin have a significant negative environmental impact, including greenhouse gas production and water pollution. Recent figures on their CO2-eq. burden shows that the production of virgin base oil requires 1 156 kg CO2/Mg oil, declining to 676 kg CO2 /Mg oil for recycled (regenerated) oil. Considering that global lubricant demand was estimated to be 41.7 million tonnes in 2010, of which some 25% was in Europe, even the best available technology - regeneration, which reduces the carbon footprint by 42% - still involves the production of more than 28 million tonnes/year of CO2. An alternative would be to replace mineral lubricating oils with more environmentally-friendly products, such as solid-state lubricants (e.g. graphite and talc) and ‘bio-lubricants', i.e. oils of natural origin, usually extracted from crops, made of triglycerides. Objectives The main objective of the Clash Oil project was to demonstrate the complete replacement of synthetic lubricants in the pre-treatment of transmissions and gearings with more environmentally-friendly solid state graphite lubricants and bio-lubricants. The project aimed to establish a manufacturing cycle producing little waste, which reduced the consumption and dispersion of lubricants and had a low carbon footprint. The proposed process also involved the recovery of glycerol, for use as a solvent to suspend graphite particles to protect against oxidation and possible explosive reactions. Results The Clash Oil project demonstrated the technical and economic feasibility of replacing synthetic lubricants, currently used for the pre-treatment of tractor transmissions and gearings, with more environmentally-friendly solid state graphite lubricants and fluid bio-lubricants. More specifically, the project demonstrated the efficient running of a new fluxing process, with increased thermal stability and longer lubricant service life, and the better corrosion protection of transmissions during stocking, due to improved lubricant adhesion to metals. The project’s innovative process is also more efficient in other respects. It does not require the final protective oil impregnation step needed previously; there is a net energy recovery from the transmissions under fluxing, due to the self-heating of the gears during functioning; and lower lubricant losses occur thanks to the lower volatility and excellent stability at high temperature of the new bio-lubricants. The lower oil consumption in the new fluxing process saves on two running-in oil changes, with a saving of some 60 litres of oil per transmission per change. The main project innovations are the effective use of the new containment tanks made with hard anodised aluminium alloys bars that exert an antibacterial effect; the use of high magnetic field gradient separating units that extend service life and avoid localised overheating; and the temperature control of the bio-lubricants to impart the desired viscosity. When temperature decreases, bio-lubricant viscosity increases so they adhere to metal surfaces, favouring the formation of thin protective layers that prevent corrosion (so avoiding the final impregnation of gearings in protective mineral oils). The Clash Oil project generated environmental benefits in the process for fluxing transmissions and gearings of tractors. These included the complete substitution of synthetic oils (an average of 4 000 litres/year per fluxing production site are currently used) with bio-lubricants, which are 100% biodegradable; the recovery of 4 000 litres/year of glycerol per fluxing site (glycerol obtained as a by-product of bio-diesel manufacturing); reduction of some 4 600 kg/year of CO2 eq. production; and a general reduction of gaseous emissions due to a lower volatility of the bio-lubricants (15% less). The project’s process uses renewable resources for the production of the bio-lubricants; uses less polluting and safer lubricants, which do not contain harmful highly-refined mineral oils or zinc-alkyl-dithiophosphates; while using bio-lubricants in the service life of tractors helps protect water and soil from harmful casual spills. The project contributed to the implementation of a number of EU policies, including the Waste Framework Directive, the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive, the Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, and the Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The project’s main message for policy-makers is that Clash Oil could be a valid basis for the development of a Best Available Technique (BAT) within the IPPC Directive in the mechanical manufacturing industry in the future. This could be done after the successful testing of the Clash Oil technology across the whole HP (Horse Power) range of tractors and after its testing during the service life of tractors. Good potential for replication and transferability exists. The beneficiary explains that each industry operating in the transmissions field in Europe already has the necessary permissions to operate with the bio-lubricants identified in the Clash Oil project and that the investment for constructing a Clash Oil fluxing line is affordable. The technology developed has been designed to work with any kind of components which need to be fluxed. Potential users of the Clash Oil technology are the companies operating in the automotive sector, where transferability would be easy and fast with few modifications necessary. The technology could also be transferred to operators in the alternative energy field (e.g. gearings of wind and water turbines) and in the wider transport field (e.g. trucks, ships). The Clash Oil technology determines advantages in cost-savings and new business opportunities. Cost savings are mainly linked to the longer lubricants service life (+20%) and to the improved corrosion protection of gearings during stocking, due to the bio-lubricants better adhesion to the metal. The advantages in terms of cost-savings and new business opportunities should enable Argo Tractors to gain a competitive advantage in the field of environmentally-friendly tractors, with benefits for the local economy. The use of bio-lubricants also create a safer working environment. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).