A: No, the products need microbes and water to biodegrade.

A: Biodegradability is defined as the ability of a substance to be digested or consumed by naturally occurring microorganisms present in water, air and soil systems.  Complete biodegradability is the conversion of a substance to carbon dioxide and water.

A:  Although there are no standards established in the United States at the present time, European standards and testing are used to measure decomposition.  The European countries, especially Germany and France, have been using these test measurements for the past ten years.  The tests generally accepted in Europe are the Coordinating European Council (CEC) L-33-A-93 test method and the Organization of European Cooperative Development (OECD) 301B test.  These tests are accepted by product developers and consumers as a “measuring stick” to help the user to understand the products’ environmental impact.  These tests were originally developed to help the European countries understand the impact that 2-cycle oils has on lake water.

Acceptable or passing levels for these tests are as follows:

Biodegradability, % in 21 days		CEC L-33-A-93		> 80
Biodegradability, % in 28 days		OECD 301B		> 60

A:  There are two common terms encountered that are used to describe products that have some level of biodegradability.  These two terms are defined in the following manner:

Inherently biodegradable is defined as the ability of a product to be consumed by naturally occurring organisms in nature over an indefinite period of time.  This ability is defined by the composition of the product.

Readily biodegradable is defined as the ability of a product that has natural ability to biodegrade quickly and completely.

The following is an example as it pertains to lubricants:

Petroleum based oils biodegrade at a level of approximately 40%.  This simply means that petroleum based oils have some level of biodegradability inherent in its composition over time.

Vegetable based oils biodegrade at a level >85%.  This means that a vegetable oil biodegrades quickly and completely.  In other words, vegetable oil is readily biodegradable.

A.  Biodegradable oil should be used in any equipment that has a mobile application and is used in the environment.  Biodegradable oils have been designed for equipment that has the ability to come in direct contact with air, soil, or water systems.  The users that are most concerned with detrimental effects are golf course superintendents and landscapers.  These products have been developed for use in lawn mowers, chain saws, weed trimmers, and all other landscape equipment.  Not only will the biodegradable oils perform equivalently to petroleum based oils, they have the ability to minimize harmful effects on turf and soil.  Leaking oil lines from turf equipment have adverse effects on turf and cause soil damage, as well as maintenance headaches for golf course superintendents and landscapers alike.

The advantage of using biodegradable fluids in these types of equipment is that when these spills occur, the “friendly” fluid will discolor the grass but will not attack and kill root systems normally seen when using petroleum lubricants.  The only response in the event of a spill of petroleum fluids is for work crews to dig up the grass deep enough and re-seed the expired turf.

Biodegradable fluids will discolor grass initially.  This effect is suffocation.  An example of this effect is similar to leaving an article on the grass for too long a time period, such as a plastic bag on the curb on garbage day.  Once the fluid is washed down with water, the turf will begin the regeneration process.  Normal response time is 7 – 10 days.

The ultimate reason for using a biodegradable fluid is lowered maintenance costs due to minimized down time in both equipment and turf problems.

A:  The flush and fill procedure to convert to EnviroLogic® products is as simple as the cleaning and maintenance procedure you currently use for scheduled care of your equipment.  During the removal of the petroleum product, simply replace the current oil with the EnviroLogic® product of choice, instead of refilling the equipment with the oil normally used.

A residual amount of petroleum oil will remain in the sump of the equipment.  This will have no effect on the performance of the EnviroLogic® fluid.  The second oil replacement will completely purge the system of any residual petroleum oil.

For further detailed equipment flushing procedures, refer to Terresolve Flushing Procedure.

A. When using a petroleum or biodegradable fluid, always follow the original equipment manufacturer’s suggested oil change frequency requirements.

A. Minor oil spills from broken oil lines or leaking equipment should not be considered hazardous or problematic.  These spills should be washed down with a soap and water solution.  If the product spill is on turf and inconspicuous, the oil spill can be left without a water wash.

A. Disposal of all EnviroLogic® products should be handled with the same protocol of reclamation you use for petroleum oils.

Terresolve in no way endorses or condones the disposal of EnviroLogic® in any way other than the procedures for disposal established by state, local, and federal agencies.

A. The shelf life for the EnviroLogic® product line is greater than two years.

A. 10% viscosity increase (kinematic viscosity at 40ºC), 2.0 increase in TAN (mgKOH/g), water contamination greater than 500 ppm, additive contamination from other oils of 50 ppm zinc and 50 ppm calcium

A. No, Terresolve products meet or exceed requirements of all major equipment manufacturers and should be covered under their warranty.  If a lubrication-related equipment failure occurs and the manufacturer reneges on the warranty, Terresolve will honor that warranty.