The Lithium Crisis for the Grease Industry Chuck Coe Grease Technology Solutions
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Lithium end uses and global supply/demand outlook Lithium in grease o How much is used o Trends in lithium grease production versus alternative thickeners o Comparison of lithium grease properties to other thickeners Alternatives to reduce lithium usage in lithium and lithium complex greases o Replace LiOH monohydrate + water with dehydrated LiOH dispersion – Lubrizol Paper o NCH patent – Andy Waynick NLGI papers o Borated esters as “dropping point enhancers” – Lubrizol Paper Substituting other thickeners – challenges Regulatory issues The future
Lithium End Uses
Figure 1 Source Ding Weng, et al., Progress in Natural Science: Materials International, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnsc.2020.01.017