Graphene NanoChem announced that after 9 months of independent testing of the PlatDrill Series by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research - National Institute of Oceanography, India, it has concluded that at 84.81%, the biodegradation level of the PlatDrill Series is 25% higher than the standard specified by the OECD guidelines. Based on this biodegradation rate the PlatDrill Series has been classified as "readily" biodegradable with a non-toxic ranking.
Worries of water and environmental contamination risks due to increased use of drilling fluids, gas and discharge of drilling waste mud and drill cuttings into the marine environment have been growing, resulting in harsher environmental restrictions in the chemicals and substances used for drilling. Biodegradation is a crucial property of drilling fluids to ensure that the fluids do not remain in the environment for long. "Readily" biodegradable refers to a substance that degrades efficiently and completely.
The readily biodegradable classification and non-toxic ranking of the PlatDrill Series enables NanoChem to meet the technical and environmental performance of modern days drilling requirements, helping the industry reduce its environmental risks and overall drilling costs from waste treatment savings. In addition, it also enables the potential market expansion of the PlatDrill Series into the highly environmentally regulated market such as the Gulf of Mexico.