Ethical behavior awards business. It brings certainty to the marketplace and encourages others to act accordingly. Hammonds Fuel Additives believes in that attitude and it drives what we do. Our guiding principles are to tell the truth, keep promises and help others. This is how we do business.
Unfortunately, this is not the case with some companies. It’s easy to promote false and deceptive business practices in order to undercut the competition or gain some competitive advantage. False or misleading advertising happens when a company makes inaccurate or false statements about competitor’s products intending to discredit the company. We have experienced this through the years.
Ethics suggest that Hammonds Fuel Additives develop its data by science not false accusations, misleading statements or unfounded opinions. Companies that need to use deceptive practices to sell their own products or make their products appear better than a competitor are not uncommon in any industry. Most states even have laws in place to reduce false claims and deceptive practices. In this post, we look at 4 false claims and present scientific data to completely rebut these false claims.
False Claim #1
False claim: Supposedly, Biobor JF deactivates in water. FACT – Biobor JF does not deactivate in water. Like most biocides, Biobor JF does hydrolyze when it comes in contact with water. Hydrolysis is a chemical interaction common among most chemicals. In the case of Biobor JF, borate esters undergo hydrolysis in the presence of water, forming boric acid, monoborates and glycols, as intended and designed. The product was designed to work this way. Scientific studies dating from the 1960’s to the present confirm the effectiveness of the hydrolysis products at killing microbes in fuel-water systems as noted in the EPA registration documents.
“Part of the efficacy of these compounds is based on their solubility in both hydrocarbon and water phases, wherein partial hydrolysis must have occurred.”
US EPA
Biobor JF is a dual phase biocide designed to be 100% soluble in fuel and highly soluble in water. When added to fuel, it remains in the fuel until it comes in contact with water. It then partitions into the water to kill any microbial contamination present. It does not “deactivate,” whatever that is intended to mean. Large scale field and laboratory studies completed through the years verify that Biobor JF effectively kills microbial contamination in fuel-water systems including those with unusually high-water levels.
Studies completed both in lab and field show Biobor JF’s efficacy even in high water systems. In one study, 2 – 1,000,000-gallon diesel fuel tanks were used. (Wright & Hostetler, 1963) The same fuel was used to fill both tanks at the beginning of the 12-month study. Each tank had similar high-water bottoms of around 10,000 gallons each. The tanks were 58 feet in diameter and stood 60 feet high. Tank one was left untreated; tank two was treated with 270 ppm of Biobor JF. Before treatment, the water bottoms produced 62,000,000 microbes per ml. At the interface between fuel and water layers, 196,000,000 microbes per ml. In the fuel just above the interface, 530,000 microbes per ml. Thirty feet up from the water layer was 117 microbes per ml. The top of the tank had too few to detect. Both tanks had virtually the same contamination levels at the beginning of the study.
During the 12-month study, Biobor JF sterilized tank two. Periodic, planned testing showed that Biobor JF sterilized all layers of the tank including the high-water bottom. The untreated tank continued to see increased microbial contamination throughout the study period. At the termination of the field study, Biobor JF was used to sterilize the previously untreated tank one, effectively killing measurable microbial contamination, including the high-water bottom.
This is not the only study showing successful water bottom sterilization, debunking the false claims made by the competitor. Additionally, in its almost 7 decades of treating fuel, Biobor JF has proven successful in systems with an excess of 20% water. Both laboratory and field studies support the biocide being very effective in killing microbial contamination and preserving fuel systems with water bottoms. (Kandel, 1989) Beware of any company making supported claims and failing to provide independent third party verified scientific studies.
False Claim #2
False claim: Supposedly, Biobor JF breaks apart in water and becomes inert, innocuous sub-components. FACT – Biobor JF does not break apart in water and become inert, innocuous sub-components. Boric acid is the most stable form of boron. The original design of Biobor JF considered the fact that boric acid and monoborates would solubilize in water, effectively killing microbial contaminants. It does not break apart. It does not become inert or innocuous.
Boric acid esters can be expected to hydrolyze at the fuel-water interface and produce effective antimicrobial activity. Lab testing indicates that the precise nature of the boron components in Biobor JF play a significant part in the biocidal activity. (Kandel, 1985) (Docks & Bennett, 1986) Biocidal activity of these boric acid esters and the borate ion at the fuel-water interface had significant biocidal activity. This answers why in the prior mentioned study, Biobor JF worked so well in the water bottoms and interface layers.
“The two active ingredients in Biobor JF act as the carrier of the boron due to their favorable distribution in hydrocarbon fuel….. the microbicide action involves delivery of boron to the organism site, followed by hydrolysis to boric acid, either before or after entering the organism. For this reason, the boron speaks to the efficacy of Biobor JF’s fungicidal properties.”
US EPA
Hammonds recent studies with the University of Arizona’s state of the art Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology verified the components of Biobor JF. These components are found to be effective at killing microbial contamination in both fuel and water. Boric acid along with its related borates contains boron. It is boron, that is biocidal no matter what form it takes. If you would like to know more about its efficacy, contact us. We do the science behind our claims and to ensure the data is unbiased by engaging certified third-party testing facilities.
False Claim #3
False claim: Supposedly, Biobor JF has a regulatory problem with the EPA due to its chemistry. FACT – Hammonds does not have regulatory issues with the EPA and there are no violations due to technical information or legitimate claims on product chemistry or efficacy. Per the EPA, boric acid esters, including Biobor JF, undergo hydrolysis in the presence of water, forming “boric acid or borate ions” (monoborates). All of these are biocidal according to EPA documentation and Hammonds scientific study data.
False Claim #4
False claim: Purportedly, Biobor JF is ineffective and does not work. FACT – Biobor JF is highly effective as proven by numerous laboratory and field studies. As previously stated, Hammonds has numerous efficacy studies proving Biobor JF’s effectiveness. Check out our blog post for more information or if you are interested in receiving more detail about Biobor JF’s efficacy, contact us.
There may be other false statements made in the marketplace. Rather than rely on hearsay, demand the scientific support. We at Hammonds are glad to provide you the independent, third party scientific data establishing the effectiveness of BIOBOR JF.
Follow Biobor
Share the Post
