ARE SYNTHETIC LUBRICANTS GREENER?
Well, no and yes. It depends. There are really two ways to reduce pollution. One is called recycling. A second means is source reduction. When it comes to recycling, synthetics are pretty much the same as petroleum. You can’t dump used synthetic motor oil in the ground any more than you can petroleum. Both classes of used motor oil must be taken to re-cycle centers for re-processing. Source reduction is where synthetics demonstrate their clearest advantage…if you believe in extended drain intervals. If you do not accept the notion of extended drain intervals, then source reduction is likewise a non-issue. Companies promoting extended drain intervals are quick to point out that the amount of used motor oil can be reduced significantly. There is also an immense reduction in the amount of discarded packaging material. There is another environmentally friendly feature offered by synthetics. Due to their lower volatility, synthetics do not boil off or vaporize as much as petroleum motor oil
