Demand for Antioxidants in Lubricant Applications to Exceed 194 Million Pounds

Demand for antioxidants in lubricant applications is expected to increase 1.5% per year to 194.9 million pounds in 2022. Among lubricant additives, antioxidants are expected to exhibit one of the strongest growth rates in volume terms through 2022, and they will also see healthy price gains. These and other trends are presented in Lubricant Additives, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

Volume demand growth for antioxidants will result from:

• growth in lubricant production across a range of antioxidant applications
• rising demand for longer lived lubricants, which will have more resistance to oxidative breakdown
• reduction of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) in engine oils, which requires increased levels of antioxidants (as well as the use of better performing, higher value products) to make up for the loss of ZDDP's antioxidation capability

Demand for both phenolic and aminic antioxidants is expected to increase moderately through 2022. Both classes of antioxidants will benefit from their stability over a wide range of temperatures. Aminic antioxidants may be approved for use in applications where food contact is possible, further boosting demand.

Demand for all types of lubricant additives will rise 0.8% per year to 2.6 billion pounds in 2022, on par with the performance seen between 2012 and 2017. In a market characterized by a high level of maturity, lubricant additive suppliers can gain market share and sustain margins by partnering with OEMs and lubricant blenders to match additive technology with performance needs and by significant investment in research, development, and testing to meet lubricant specifications.

Lubricant Additives (published 10/2018, 187 pages) is available for $5000 from The Freedonia Group. Please link citations to https://www.freedoniagroup.com/Lubricant-Additives.html.