Opportunities and challenges of minimum quantity lubrication as pathways to sustainable manufacturing

Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) marks a major step toward sustainable manufacturing by cutting down on cutting fluid use by up to 99.8 % compared to traditional cooling methods. This new lubrication approach greatly improves machining efficiency, reducing cutting forces by up to 32 %, enhancing surface finishes by 65 %, and decreasing energy use by as much as 64 %. These benefits also extend tool life by up to 50 % and lower operational costs by as much as 52 %, showing clear economic and environmental advantages. Hybrid Cooling Systems (Cryo-MQL), which combine cryogenic and CO 2 cooling, boost these results further, reaching energy savings of up to 64 %, doubling tool life, and reducing emissions by nearly 40 %. These systems address environmental and health issues linked to flood cooling by significantly decreasing hazardous waste and operator risk from harmful chemicals. Although the high initial costs hinder quick adoption, the long-term savings and improved manufacturing performance make MQL a vital technology for industries pursuing greener production. This review highlights how MQL technology is broadly applicable in modern manufacturing and stresses the importance of ongoing innovations, like nanoparticle additives and smart fluid delivery, to overcome current limits and enable wider industrial use. However, wider adoption is limited by high setup costs, which can be 10–15 % of total retrofitting costs, and operational challenges in traditional systems.