As the waste collection industry pursues greater profitability and an enhanced reputation in serving its communities, readily biodegradable products stand ready to deliver those two keywords that go straight to the bottom line鈥攑erformance and sustainability.
Patrick Van Every
Performance and sustainability鈥攖wo words with growing importance in the waste industry. Performance is a must-have for waste collection fleets to efficiently serve their communities, while the way that service is carried out and the equipment used in service continue to provide an opportunity for enhanced sustainability. Despite engine technology and alternative fuels remaining at the forefront of this discussion because of their significant effect on expensive fleet equipment, other areas of operation are experiencing shifts as well. The use of readily biodegradable, biobased hydraulic fluids in place of traditional petroleum-based fluids is becoming more widespread in the waste industry.
Sustainable Fluids Defined
With the advance of sustainable operations, many products claim to be 鈥済reen鈥� in an attempt to capture waste companies鈥� attention and take advantage of their legitimate corporate desire to reduce their impact on the environment in the neighborhoods and communities in which they operate. Many of these products fall short, both on performance and true sustainability.
For a product to be biobased, the materials or chemicals used must be derived from renewable biological resources鈥攐ften plants. By using naturally occurring materials and chemicals, products are able to more easily return to their natural state through degradation. In contrast, petroleum-based products are derived from non-renewable resources, as there is a finite amount of those global resources. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) even recognizes products that meet its BioPreferred program standards. The program is intended to promote the increased purchase and use of听biobased products.
In terms of biodegradation, claiming a product is biodegradable means next to nothing in terms of its realistic impact on the environment. Many people often say a product or substance is biodegradable, thinking that such a term indicates it is less damaging to the environment, but in fact, oil and other potentially harmful things for the environment are biodegradable too鈥攋ust after a long period of time. Biodegradation occurs when a given substance or fluid鈥檚 chemical bonds weaken and break. In some cases, potentially toxic residue may persist in the environment after the biodegradation of petroleum-derived fluids.
There are technical terms like inherently biodegradable and readily biodegradable to describe the rate at which a substance or a fluid degrades and is recognized as a food source by the natural environment. That rate of biodegradation is driven by a number of factors, including the make-up of those original chemical bonds, the temperatures that the substance is being exposed to, the availability of natural enzymes to consume the remains as food and the presence of water and oxygen. All of these factors need to be present in order for biodegradation to occur.
Readily biodegradable specifically defines a substance, fluid or composition that will degrade 60 percent or greater within 28 days or less. There are several internationally recognized ASTM tests that confirm this characteristic of a given product and allow companies to back up a readily biodegradable claim. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) even requires companies who use the term readily biodegradable in describing their products to state the test (for example, 鈥淎STM 5864 compliant鈥�) in validation of the claim.
While the FTC has protections and guidelines in place to help protect waste companies and prevent suppliers from 鈥済reen washing鈥� their products, it is critical that the waste industry understand the basics of biodegradation when dealing with hydraulic fluids, degreasers and other similar products. Asking the right questions upfront ensures that when spills occur and remediation is needed, the company understands the full implications and reduced effect their products will have on the environment.
Performance Fluids in Action
From a performance standpoint, many of these eco-friendly products, legitimate or not, in the industry have not fared well in the past. These fluids or degreasers provided a trade-off between performance and sustainability. That trade-off has been eliminated by some suppliers, who are now able to produce readily biodegradable, biobased products that match or, in some cases, even exceed the performance of their petroleum-based counterparts in viscosity range and wear performance. Equipment manufacturers and hydraulic suppliers continue to give approval to these products because they meet the equipment performance standards.
One performance characteristic is performing in temperatures of -40掳 to 200掳 F and pressures up to 5000 psi. With the ability to work in extreme temperatures, downtime from winter lows and summer highs can be diminished. These types of products are ideal for mobile hydraulic systems operating in environmentally sensitive areas, like neighborhoods and municipalities.
Another performance benefit seen in certain readily biodegradable fluids is longevity. With some readily biodegradable products, waste haulers are seeing enhanced wear protection and longer oil lifecycles, which keeps the equipment up and running longer and with fewer maintenance cycles. The fluids in action also deliver a benefit to the fleet maintenance or operations team as they interact with the hydraulic systems and equipment. The biobased products deliver intrinsic health and safety benefits compared to petroleum-based products. In overall performance, these types of biobased products allow waste collection fleets to maintain or improve their performance levels with the added benefit of a safer, more sustainable product.
Bottom Line Benefits and Beyond
Readily biodegradable, biobased fluids and cleaners deliver both performance and sustainability鈥攁ttributes that contribute to any company鈥檚 bottom line. These products are able to reduce the workplace hazards and environmental risks associated with spills or leaks that can not only tarnish a company鈥檚 reputation, but also lead to costly remediation involving cleanup, potential regulatory fines and equipment or employee downtime.
The challenge remains for waste collection fleets to meet today鈥檚 ever-increasing regulatory and safety requirements while satisfying the public鈥檚 need for environmentally friendly, low-impact waste management. To that end, readily biodegradable fluid suppliers look to formulate products that meet a wide variety of environmental regulations and standards. Spills of readily biodegradable products are often viewed by regulatory agencies differently than petroleum-based spills, and this effect can positively impact a company鈥檚 spill response, costs and, ultimately, operational productivity. Companies who take full advantage of readily biodegradable fluids and cleaners will also incorporate information about these products into their public relations activities, along with other sustainable improvements like alternative fuels. Educating communities can go a long way in mitigating any spill even before it happens.
Along with savings from potential spill remediation, the longer oil life that some readily biodegradable biobased fluids deliver relative to petroleum-based fluids leads to maintenance savings that add up significantly the more pieces of equipment a company has in its fleet. Additionally, some providers of hydraulic fluids and gear oils, offer a fluid analysis program to further quantify product durability and demonstrate the reduced maintenance costs.
As the waste collection industry pursues greater profitability and an enhanced reputation in serving its communities, waste collection companies should consider every part of their operation as an opportunity for analysis and improvement. Hydraulic fluids and degreasers are one of those areas. Phasing out more hazardous, petroleum-based chemicals and replacing them with readily biodegradable, biobased products reinforces a company鈥檚 commitment to creating a safer workplace and community environment. Readily biodegradable products stand ready to deliver those two keywords that go straight to the bottom line鈥攑erformance and sustainability.
Patrick Van Every is the solid waste market manager for RSC Bio Solutions (Charlotte, NC). He is a respected industry veteran who brings more than 20 years of experience with regional and national waste companies including Waste Management, American Waste and Waste Industries. Established in 2010, RSC Bio Solutions is an affiliate of RSC Chemical Solutions and is focused on providing high-performance chemistries that are safer, non-hazardous and environmentally responsible. To expand its offerings further, RSC Bio Solutions鈥� parent company, Blumenthal Holdings, recently acquired a controlling interest in Terresolve Technologies, Ltd. and its EnviroLogic庐 product lines, including readily biodegradable functional fluids and oils that are tested and proven in some of the toughest environments possible. For more information, visit .
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EnviroLogic庐 is a registered trademark of Terresolve Technologies, Ltd.
Terresolve Technologies, Ltd. DBA RSC Bio Solutions.
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Sidebar
Biobased Products Keep Emerald Coast Green
Outfitting waste management fleets with effective hydraulic fluids that enhance work truck performance can help fleet managers meet crucial operational objectives. Today鈥檚 biobased chemical solutions have succeeded in debunking the myth that 鈥済reen鈥� products fail to work effectively for waste management fleet vehicles. Biobased hydraulic fluids not only meet or exceed the performance of conventionally-used, petroleum-based fluids, but also help mitigate the financial and environmental risks of using these hazardous fluids.
Sustained use in the Emerald Coast of Florida has shown the unique benefits and value of incorporating readily biodegradable hydraulic fluids into waste management fleets. The (ECUA) is charged with promoting the quality of life of the Emerald Coast by providing water, wastewater, and sanitation services in an effective and efficient manner and it has implemented key sustainability projects in the region under the branded program, 鈥淟ive Green.鈥�
In an effort to continue its mission to maximize value for its operations, as well as its customers and the environment, ECUA began its search in May 2007 for a long-term eco-friendly product purchase to phase into its fleet and equipment. The Authority turned to EnviroLogic庐 168鈥攁 readily biodegradable and biobased hydraulic fluid from . ECUA has been using the EnviroLogic 168 product in its fleet for nearly six years, and has switched over nearly 400 pieces of equipment鈥攊ncluding waste collection and sewer vacuum trucks to backhoes鈥攆rom petroleum-based products to readily biodegradable products. This particular readily biodegradable hydraulic fluid is fully compatible with the range of equipment in ECUA鈥檚 fleet.
This unique hydraulic fluid is readily biodegradable, non-hazardous ISO 68/SAE 5W40 multiviscosity grade hydraulic oil for use in general purpose hydraulic systems and is a direct replacement for petroleum oil based hydraulic fluids, helping to further reduce ECUA鈥檚 environmental impact. As a readily biodegradable product, it is defined by ASTM 5864鈥攖he standard test method for determining biodegradation of lubricants and their components鈥攁s those that degrade by at least 60 percent within 28 days.
鈥淲hen we started looking for a suitable eco-friendly alternative to hazardous, petroleum-based hydraulic fluids, we realized that not all readily biodegradable fluids are the same,鈥� said Mike Powell, ECUA鈥檚 Materials Management Supervisor. 鈥淚n order to meet the high-performance needs of our waste fleets and equipment, we had to look for solutions that would help protect the environment and our customers without performance tradeoffs. RSC Bio Solutions鈥� EnviroLogic brand hydraulic fluids are the only products that meet both of those needs for us and the results we鈥檝e seen over the past six years have been exceptional.鈥�
ECUA has also seen marked improvement in their vehicle maintenance program, on account of oil sampling and analysis services provided by RSC Bio Solutions and EnviroLogic 168鈥檚 enhanced wear protection and longer lifecycle, which allows them to reduce changeover frequency. The increased performance characteristics of biobased hydraulic fluids help to keep equipment running well, while also delivering intrinsic health and safety benefits for the employees who interact with hydraulic systems and equipment. Compared to its petroleum counterparts, EnviroLogic 168 is biobased, creating a far safer work environment for employees who come into regular contact with hydraulic fluids.