Just over a week ago, Nano Chemical Systems announced the launch of NanOil, which they claim to be a 100% biodegradable oil suitable for cars that will perform as well as other crude-based and synthetic oils.

The accompanying press release is extraordinarily vague, but their two-stroke product that's been on the market for a while contains highly modified fatty acids to achieve high temperature stability according to the company.

If it's the real thing, then this is great news indeed as waste oil can be a major environmental problem. According to the EPA, the oil collected from a single oil change can contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh water. A gallon of oil can create a slick the size of a soccer field.

While motor oil can and should always be recycled, Nanoil may at the very least help reduce dependency upon crude oil and the associated environmental problems with production and refining. How "green" the process is in producing this biodegradable oil is another question. Synthetic oils are also an alternative to crude oil products; but most I've looked at are comprised of nasty chemical cocktails or do have some crude oil elements.

While on the topic of waste motor oil; if you're in the USA, you can find a waste oil recycling center close to you via Earth911.org. If you're in Canada, you can locate a recycling facility at UsedOilRecycling.com. In the UK, locations can be found at OilBankLine and in Australia, run a search here.