A few years back, while I was still a student at Presidio School of Management, this vivacious, crazy eyed scientist came and told us about the biolubricants that his company WISE Solutions had been working on. My mind of course went to, shall we say, personal lubricants, and I began to tune out. But it turned out to be much different.

You see, they were working on plant based lubricants, to be used (at the time) in vehicles. He shared a story of how they were in some cases too effective at lubrication, causing engines to over perform. Now, years later, I thought I’d take a look at what direction this startup has gone. It seems they gone in many directions, and interesting ones.

But first, what’s to know about these lubricants, and beyond the “not petroleum” factor, what makes them so beneficial, and do they perform in line with their conventional counterparts? In a word, yes. And even better.

How? Well thankfully, WISE speaks both tech and laymanese:

• Better viscosity index and lubricity even at extreme temperatures, which means less friction and longer equipment life, saving energy and money.

• Patented oxidative stability (longer life)

• Health and safety advantages (e.g., less flammable due to higher flash points)

• Lower risk of contaminating products being processed or manufactured (e.g., Food Grade products are rated USDA “H1,” safe for incidental food contact)

• Better cold temperature performance (lower pour points).

The composition of these products hits the right eco bells. These green chemistry based products are made from renewable, non-GMO based oils (as in, not yet another eco product made from monster corn) and specialized additives. They also reach “Ultimate Biodegradability” in 28 days. I’m not a scientist and don’t have figures to compare that to other products, but somehow I don’t imagine a quart of oil going inert in any hurry.

Another advantage to the composition of these products is that they’re not subject to the price volatility of petroleum, and due to WISE’s, well, wise moves, they are less expensive then synthetic counterparts.

Where do these products get used? Well that’s a whole other article, but they see use in food production, whether it’s in agricultural, processed food creation, or keeping the oven working smoothly. They have a range of marine products, which it’s safe to assume aren’t for a hard working branch of the military, but water traveling vessels and other aquatic oriented machinery. But with product names like Bio-Blast Penetrant, I’m not so sure. And they have an industrial line, which among other things has Bio-Power Diesel Fuel Conditioner. This fuel additive is able to improve fuel efficiency by as much as 13.6%, increase horsepower 5.6%, while reducing black smoke emissions by 42% and reducing NOx as well. And that’s only the start. Look for it and have a read yourself.

Topping it all off is the fact that WISE gives back 1% of sales to support sustainable agriculture research, marine preservation, and other worthy causes. If you’re a business that uses machines as well as brains to power the operations, I’d encourage you having a look at WISE Solutions deep catalog of offerings.