Biosynthetic® Technologies announces commercial availability of a bio-based synthetic motor oil
Biosynthetic® Technologies has announced the commercial availability of a bio-based synthetic motor oil using high-oleic soybean oil. The U.S.Department of Defense and Washington, D.C. area fleet demonstrations found the product meets or exceeds their performance requirements. Biosynthetic Technologies’ motor oil is also recognized as a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Biobased Product meeting the federally mandated purchasing initiative known as the “BioPreferred Program”.
Biosynthetic® fully synthetic motor oil SAE 5W-20 and 5W-30 viscosity grades are now available from www.biosynthetic.com and www.amazon.com.
The United Soybean Board (USB) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have supported the soy-based, drop-in, synthetic alternative to petroleum-based motor oil. The bio-based alternative is suited for high-temperature automotive and industrial applications. USB introduced the product to multiple Washington, D.C. region fleets, including DC Water that field-tested the motor oil. DC Water concluded the test to be successful with the bio-based motor oil, demonstrating strong performance, improved fuel efficiency, and cleaner engines when compared to the petroleum-based oil they had previously used. The Smithsonian Institution, Arlington County, Va., and Prince George’s County, Md. also reported success with the biobased motor oil after participating in a trial.
“At DC Water, we are always looking for innovative options that can help improve the sustainability of our fleet without sacrificing performance or increasing costs,” said Tim Fitzgerald, director of fleet management for DC Water. “This bio-based motor oil exceeded our expectations in terms of performance and engine cleanliness. The oil samples have shown increased longevity and stability over time, while the equipment appears to be cleaner, which is a definite plus for us. The oil is less harmful to the environment and I see real potential for greater use of this biobased alternative in the future.”
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Aviation in coordination with the Air Force and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment conducted an 18-month limited field demonstration project to evaluate synthetic bio-based motor oil in non-tactical Department of Defense and federal agency vehicles with gasoline-powered engines. The effort included the analysis of oil samples. It concluded: “The demonstrated biobased full synthetic motor oils were found to meet or exceed the DoD and federal agencies performance requirements.”
