Technical
To bio ... or not to bio? I
Hanfried Sievers is the Training Manager at
Cutting Edge Training and, in this article, he discusses the use of mineral and biodegradable hydraulic fluids in turf maintenance equipment, looking at their environmental impact when a leak or spill occurs
t is generally accepted that the introduction of hydraulically driven triple unit greens mowers has been of great benefit to the majority of golf courses. In these days of ever increasing labour costs, these mowers are highly productive and produce superb playing surfaces. Some of the latest mowers can even replicate the hand-mown look in less than half the time of mowing the greens by hand.
Biodegradable fluids as alternative to petroleum-based fluids
During the past two decades, the manufacturers and blenders of lubricants have been very busy developing eco- friendly, readily biodegradable and non- toxic fluids, as they estimate that 70% to 80% of hydraulic fluids leave systems they are working in through leaks, spills, hose breakages and fitting failures.
Biodegradable hydraulic fluids nowadays are high-performance products with environment-friendly properties. Unfortunately, many equipment end-users
130 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
underestimate their performance and eco- friendly properties or regard their use as uneconomical. Within this article, I would like to address some of these preconceptions.
What is Biodegradability?
So, what is Biodegradability? It is defined as the ability of a substance to be digested or consumed by naturally occurring microorganisms or their enzymes, present in water, air and soil systems, and be converted to inorganic substances, such as water, carbon dioxide, inorganic compounds and new microbial cellular constituents.
The whole process depends entirely on nature’s microorganisms - bacteria, fungi and yeast - to break down the hydrocarbon molecules of their substance. Some chemical structures, such as natural (vegetable) oils, are more susceptible to microbial breakdown than others and will biodegrade much faster than petroleum oils. Biodegradable vegetable based oils will typically completely biodegrade within a month or two, whereas most petroleum
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