Choosing Safer Fluids
for Marine Projects
Help protect both the environment and workers by
selecting the safest products on the market
We all want to be safe. Safety regulators want
us and our employees to return safely home
from a day’s work. Both governments and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) press
for more regulations that mandate less environmental im-pact
as we operate pile driving equipment in marine or
estuarine environments.
What is a “safe” fluid for pile driving projects? In a nut-shell,
it’s a grease, oil, hydraulic fluid or cleaner that has less
potential for environmental impact than a traditional lubri-cant
(or cleaner). Until recently, many of these safer products
all came with serious technical flaws. Today, there are better
choices with fewer – if any – unacceptable tradeoffs.
What are our options today? Opinions differ, so your best
bet is to do your homework and use the Internet to look for
options. Reputable manufacturers release test data based on
recognized test methods published by ASTM International or
the OECD. Also, talk to suppliers and ask for technical data.
What questions do you need to ask? What is safe, sustain-able,
biodegradable and reliable?
A good place to start is with fluids that meet the require-ments
or standards accepted by the marine industry and
the NGOs. One such requirement is outlined in the United
States Environmental Protection Agency’s Vessel General
Permit (VGP) regulations that specifies high biodegradabil-ity,
low toxicity and low bioaccumulation requirements for
Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EAL) used on ves-sels
within certain U.S. waters. While the EAL requirements
are not binding for industries operating outside U.S. waters,
the requirements of the VGP are a good starting point to
help us define what constitutes a “safer fluid” for pile driving
applications. When a fluid, oil, grease or cleaner meets VGP
requirements, it is considered a safer material for the envi-ronment
if spilled or leaked. Liability for user cleanup still
exists, but the cleanup costs and fines are expected to be less
for VGP-compliant fluids.
Use of VGP-compliant products can also help minimize
negative press coverage in the event of a spill. VGP compliance
does not address performance issues. There are excellent and
poor VGP-compliant products. Review the technical data
supporting VGP compliance and request data on product
stability, wear characteristics, foaming and demulsing to help
make an informed decision. Confirm that the fluids indeed
meet all three requirements of the VGP. Some lower-quality
fluids sold today claim biodegradability when they in fact do
not meet the “readily biodegradable” requirement of the VGP.
A “readily biodegradable” fluid degrades in the environment
more rapidly than an “inherently biodegradable” fluid. Only
readily biodegradable fluids can be VGP compliant. When in
doubt, ask for supporting documentation, preferably from an
independent, third-party laboratory.
There are four EAL technologies, and each has advan-tages
and disadvantages. EALs can be based on triglyceride
base oils like canola oil or esters, polyalkylene glycols (PAG)
or readily biodegradable hydrocarbons. Ester and PAG prod-ucts
pose the most problem with seal compatibility. The most
By Dr. Larry Beaver, RSC Chemical Solutions
50 Q1 2018 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
