In this insightful article, KB Mathur, Founder and Director, Global Technical Services, explores how reclaiming used lubricants through advanced filtration and on-site testing can drive cost savings, enhance productivity, and support a greener industrial future. Read on to discover how oil regeneration is revolutionising sustainability in cement and core industries.

The core principle of the circular economy is to redefine the life cycle of materials and products. Unlike traditional linear models where waste from industrial production is dumped/discarded into the environment causing immense harm to the environment;the circular model seeks to keep materials literally in continuous circulation. This is achievedthrough processes cycle of reduction, regeneration, validating (testing) and reuse. Product once
validated as fit, this model ensures that products and materials are reintroduced into the production system, minimising waste. The result? Cleaner and greener manufacturing that fosters a more sustainable planet for future generations.

The current landscape of lubricants
Modern lubricants, typically derived from refined hydrocarbons, made from highly refined petroleum base stocks from crude oil. These play a critical role in maintaining the performance of machinery by reducing friction, enabling smooth operation, preventing damage and wear. However, most of these lubricants; derived from finite petroleum resources pose an environmental challenge once used and disposed of. As industries become increasingly conscious of their environmental impact, the paramount importance or focus is shifting towards reducing the carbon footprint and maximising the lifespan of lubricants; not just for environmental reasons but also to optimise operational costs.
During operations, lubricants often lose their efficacy and performance due to contamination and depletion of additives. When these oils reach their rejection limits (as they will now offer poor or bad lubrication) determined through laboratory testing, they are typically discarded contributing to environmental contamination and pollution.
But here lies an opportunity: Used lubricants can be regenerated and recharged, restoring them to their original performance level. This not only mitigates environmental pollution but also supports a circular economy by reducing waste and conserving resources.

Circular economy in lubricants
In the world of industrial machinery, lubricating oils while essential; are often misunderstood in terms of their life cycle. When oils are used in machinery, they don’t simply ‘DIE’. Instead, they become contaminated with moisture (water) and solid contaminants like dust, dirt, and wear debris. These contaminants degrade the oil’s effectiveness but do not render it completely unusable. Used lubricants can be regenerated via advanced filtration processes/systems and recharged with the use of performance enhancing additives hence restoring them. These oils are brought back to ‘As-New’ levels. This new fresher lubricating oil is formulated to carry out its specific job providing heightened lubrication and reliable performance of the assets with a view of improved machine condition. Hence, contributing to not just cost savings but leading to magnified productivity, and diminished environmental stress.

Save oil, save environment
At Global Technical Services (GTS), we specialise in the regeneration of hydraulic oils and gear oils used in plant operations. While we don’t recommend the regeneration of engine oils due to the complexity of contaminants and additives, our process ensures the continued utility of oils in other applications, offering both cost-saving and environmental benefits.

Regeneration process
Our regeneration plant employs state-of-the-art advanced contamination removal systems including fine and depth filters designed to remove dirt, wear particles, sludge, varnish, and water. Once contaminants are removed, the oil undergoes comprehensive testing to assess its physico-chemical properties and contamination levels. The test results indicate the status of the regenerated oil as compared to the fresh oil.
Depending upon the status the oil is further supplemented with high performance additives to bring it back to the desired specifications, under the guidance of an experienced lubrication technologist.
Contamination Removal ? Testing ? Additive Addition
(to be determined after testing in oil test laboratory)

The steps involved in this process are as follows:
1. Contamination removal: Using advanced filtration techniques to remove contaminants.
2. Testing: Assessing the oil’s properties to determine if it meets the required performance standards.
3. Additive addition: Based on testing results, performance-enhancing additives are added to restore the oil’s original characteristics.

On-site oil testing laboratories
The used oil from the machine passes through 5th generation fine filtration to be reclaimed as ‘New Oil’ and fit to use as per stringent industry standards.
To effectively implement circular economy principles in oil reclamation from used oil, establishing an on-site oil testing laboratory is crucial at any large plants or sites. Scientific testing methods ensure that regenerated oil meets the specifications required for optimal machine performance, making it suitable for reuse as ‘New Oil’ (within specified tolerances). Hence, it can be reused safely by reintroducing it in the machines.
The key parameters to be tested for regenerated hydraulic, gear and transmission oils (except Engine oils) include both physical and chemical characteristics of the lubricant:

• Kinematic Viscosity
• Flash Point
• Total Acid Number
• Moisture / Water Content
• Oil Cleanliness
• Elemental Analysis (Particulates, Additives and Contaminants)
• Insoluble

The presence of an on-site laboratory is essential for making quick decisions; ensuring that test reports are available within 36 to 48 hours and this prevents potential mechanical issues/ failures from arising due to poor lubrication. This symbiotic and cyclic process helps not only reduce waste and conserve oil, but also contributes in achieving cost savings and playing a big role in green economy.

Conclusion
The future of industrial operations depends on sustainability, and reclaiming used lubricating oils plays a critical role in this transformation. Through 5th Generation Filtration processes, lubricants can be regenerated and restored to their original levels, contributing to both environmental preservation and economic efficiency.
What would happen if we didn’t recycle our lubricants? Let’s review the quadruple impacts as mentioned below:
1. Oil Conservation and Environmental Impact: Used lubricating oils after usage are normally burnt or sold to a vendor which can be misused leading to pollution. Regenerating oils rather than discarding prevents unnecessary waste and reduces the environmental footprint of the industry. It helps save invaluable resources, aligning with the principles of sustainability and the circular economy. All lubricating oils (except engine oils) can be regenerated and brought to the level of ‘As New Oils’.
2. Cost Reduction Impact: By extending the life of lubricants, industries can significantly cut down on operating costs associated with frequent oil changes, leading to considerable savings over time. Lubricating oils are expensive and saving of lubricants by the process of regeneration will overall be a game changer and highly economical to the core industries.
3. Timely Decisions Impact: Having an oil testing laboratory at site is of prime importance for getting test reports within 36 to 48 hours enabling quick decisions in critical matters that may
lead to complete shutdown of the invaluable asset/equipment.
4. Green Economy Impact: Oil Regeneration is a fundamental part of the green economy. Supporting industries in their efforts to reduce waste, conserve resources, and minimise pollution is ‘The Need of Our Times’.

About the author:
KB Mathur, Founder & Director, Global Technical Services, is a seasoned mechanical engineer with 56 years of experience in India’s oil industry and industrial reliability. He pioneered ‘Total Lubrication Management’ and has been serving the mining and cement sectors since 1999.

The Indian cement industry has reached a critical juncture in its sustainability journey. In a landmark move, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has, for the first time, announced greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity reduction targets for 282 entities, including 186 cement plants, under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, 2023. These targets, to be enforced starting FY2025-26, are aligned with India’s overarching ambition of achieving net zero emissions by 2070.
Cement manufacturing is intrinsically carbon-intensive, contributing to around 7 per cent of global GHG emissions, or approximately 3.8 billion tonnes annually. In India, the sector is responsible for 6 per cent of total emissions, underscoring its critical role in national climate mitigation strategies. This regulatory push, though long overdue, marks a significant shift towards accountability and structured decarbonisation.
However, the path to a greener cement sector is fraught with challenges—economic viability, regulatory ambiguity, and technical limitations continue to hinder the widespread adoption of sustainable alternatives. A major gap lies in the lack of a clear, India-specific definition for ‘green cement’, which is essential to establish standards and drive industry-wide transformation.
Despite these hurdles, the industry holds immense potential to emerge as a climate champion. Studies estimate that through targeted decarbonisation strategies—ranging from clinker substitution and alternative fuels to carbon capture and innovative product development—the sector could reduce emissions by 400 to 500 million metric tonnes by 2030.
Collaborations between key stakeholders and industry-wide awareness initiatives (such as Earth Day) are already fostering momentum. The responsibility now lies with producers, regulators and technology providers to fast-track innovation and investment.
The time to act is now. A sustainable cement industry is not only possible—it is imperative.

Manoj Rustagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, JSW Cement, discusses how the adoption of ‘green’ practices in cement manufacturing could reshape the future of sustainable construction worldwide.

Cement is one of the most carbon-intensive materials in construction — but innovation is changing that. As sustainability becomes central to infrastructure, green cement is emerging as a viable low-carbon alternative. In this detailed interview with Manoj Rustagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, JSW Cement, we explore what makes cement ‘green’, its performance, and its future. From durability to cutting-edge technologies, here’s a look at the cement industry’s greener path forward.

What exactly is green cement, and how does it differ from traditional cement?
At this point in time, there is no standard for defining green cement. A very simple way to understand ‘Green Cement’ or ‘Low Carbon Cement’ is the one which emits much lower greenhouse gasses (GHG) compared to conventional cement (Ordinary Portland Cement – OPC) during its manufacturing process.
In India, there are many existing BIS Standards for different types of cement products. The most common are OPC; Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC); Portland Slag Cement (PSC) and Composite Cement (CC). While OPC emits maximum GHG during its manufacturing (approx 800-850 kg CO2/MT of OPC), PSC emits least GHG (approx 300-350 kg CO2/MT of PSC). As PSC is having close to 60 per cent lower CO2 emission compared to OPC, it is the greenest cement available in the Indian market.
There is already work happening at the central government level to define green cement, like it has been recently done for green steel, and hopefully in the next one year or so the standard definition would be available.

What are the key environmental benefits of using green cement?
The primary environmental benefits of green or low-carbon cement are:

• Reduced CO2 emissions
• Lower energy and power consumption
• Conservation of limestone and fossil fuels
• Utilisation of industrial by-products
• (slag/fly ash)

Can green cement match the durability and strength of conventional cement?
PSC is much more durable than any other type of cement product. It has lower heat of hydration; the strength keeps on improving with time; and it has much higher resistance to chloride and sulphate attacks. Most of the concrete failures are because of chloride and sulphate attacks, which corrode the steel reinforcements and that is how cracks get initiated and propagated resulting in eventual concrete failures. For coastal applications, marine structures, seaports, and mass concreting, PSC is most suitable. Due to the intrinsic durability characteristics of PSC; it is a green and resilient cement product.
Usually everyone talks about lower GHG emissions, but it is equally important to build resilient building structures that can withstand natural calamities and have much longer lifespans. PSC is one cement type that is not only lowest in CO2 emissions but at the same time offers durability characteristics and properties (RCPT, RCMT, Mercury Intrusion, long term strength and flexural strength), which are unmatched.

What innovative technologies are being used to produce green cement?
To further reduce the CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process; some of the innovative technologies which are commercially viable are:

• Alternative raw materials: Use of steel slag, red mud and other industrial by-products to substitute limestone
• Alternative fuels: Use of RDF/MSW, pharmaceutical wastes like biomass etc., to substitute coal/pet-coke
• Waste Heat Recovery (WHR): Power plants to generate electricity from waste heat
• Renewable energy: Solar and wind energy instead of state grid

How cost-effective is green cement compared to traditional options?
All of the above innovative technologies do not increase the cost of manufacturing. There are some future technologies like Carbon Capture, Utilisation and/or Storage (CCUS), which are not commercially viable and would increase the cost of cement. As such, the options available today for low-carbon cement (like PSC) are not expensive.
The Government of India has recently notified Indian Carbon Market (ICM), which also includes the cement sector. Hopefully, this would help progressive companies to further reduce their carbon footprint.

What challenges does the industry face in adopting green cement on a large scale?
There is absolutely no incentive/motivation for builders/contractors to use green cement products and therefore there is practically no demand. While the industry has taken many steps. In fact the Indian cement industry is believed to be most energy efficient globally and has approximately 10 per cent lower GHG emissions compared to global average. But due to lack of awareness and lack of performance based standards; the demand for low carbon cement or green cement has not picked up in India.

Are governments and regulators supporting the shift to green cement?
In India, in the last couple of years, there have been many policy interventions which have been initiated. One of them, namely the carbon market is under notification; others like Green Public Procurement, Green Cement taxonomy and National CCUS Mission are in the advanced stages and are expected to be implemented in the next couple
of years.

How do you see the future of green cement in global construction?
Globally the built environment accounts for 40 per cent CO2 emissions; and the maximum embodied emissions come from cement and concrete. There is a lot of innovation happening in cement, concrete and construction. Basically, how we build and what material we use. And this is to do with both carbon mitigation as well as adaptation as the built environment is so important for sustainable living. Precast and pre-engineered buildings/structures, 3D concrete printing, ultra high performance concrete, digital and AI/ML interventions in construction, admixtures/improved concrete packing; and circularity in cement manufacturing are some examples. Low-carbon cement or green cement eventually will lead to ‘Net Zero CO2 emission’ cement, which would enable a ‘Net-Zero’ built environment that is needed for long term sustainability.