EAL

Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants

According to the VGP, a regular seal has an oil-to-sea interface and EPA indicates that every oil-to-sea interface must use an “Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant” (EAL). EAL means lubricants that are biodegradable, non-bio accumulative, and minimally toxic. They must be approved by labelling programs like Blue Angel, European Ecolabel, Nordic Swan, Swedish Standards SS 155434 and 155470, OSPAR and the EPA’s DfE. Please note that not every bio-oil is an EAL. Always check with the oil supplier if the intended lubricant is in compliance with VGP requirements. Please note that any discharge (also EAL discharges) must be reported.

Testing of EALs with Lagersmit lip seals

Lagersmit continuously assists EAL manufacturers in evaluating the compatibility of our Supreme lip seals with various EALs. Prior to this it should be verified that the EAL complies with VGP regulations by labelling programs as mentioned in the above. If the EAL complies with VGP requirements, the compatibility with Lagersmit lip seals can be checked with the latest version of our letter from our site.

If the EAL is listed in the letter, the compatibility has been verified and approved already. In those cases where the EAL is not mentioned in the letter, the EAL manufacturer can:

• Request that Lagersmit tests the compatibility of the EAL with Supreme lip seals
• This request will be evaluated by our technical specialists

The compatibility is checked in two steps:

1. First, the compatibility of the lip seal and the EAL mixed with a percentage of water will be tested under static conditions at an elevated temperature to hydrolyze the EAL with a test duration of 28 days. The physical property changes of the lip seal’s compound will be evaluated.
2. Second, the Supreme lip seals are dynamically tested in our laboratory under harsh running conditions with the EAL. A percentage of water is then added to the lubricant to get the EAL hydrolyzed. The lip seal’s wear track and the liner’s running surface will be evaluated.

• After the evaluation of both test results a report will be forwarded to the EAL manufacturer detailing the outcome.
• When the EAL and the Supreme lip seals are found to be compatible, the EAL is added to the “Lagersmit VGP information letter”.