Bioval BBBMAX Critical Analysis

Written by MikeG
April 30th, 2009

oderint dum metuant: Let them hate so long as they fear

- Bioval, Caligula

Preface

This article was written in response to concern and controversy expressed over Bioval’s new BBBMAX line of .27g transparent BBs.  It is not intended to incite fear but simply to examine the facts that we have found related to this product.  We do not wish to harm the reputation of any entity but we do want to know the whole truth about this product.  We believe there may be certain safety concerns that have not been addressed by Bioval and that this needs to be brought to the attention of all airsoft players.

Analysis of Claims – Material

One of the most prevalent claims about the BBBMAX is that they are made of glass.  This is easy to understand as they are transparent and seem to be harder than standard plastic BBs.  Let’s first examine what Bioval has to say about their BBs.  On the products section of their website, Bioval claims that their BBs are

Made of 100% natural ingredients. 100% inert. 100% non toxic.

On the ingredients section of their website, Bioval claims that all their ‘Bio BBs’ are made of:

Component Weight Percentage
Starch 66.12%
Protein 8.84%
Oil/Fat 4.24%
Crude Fiber 2.67%
Ash 1.29%
Sugars 1.84%
Moisture 15%

On that page it is implied that both their BBB and BBBMAX products are biodegradable and that those ingredients must apply.  A simple look back at the products page however shows the BBB BBs are made of “True Biodegradable material” while this is never claimed for the BBBMAX BBs.  Again, they are only claimed to be “Made of 100% natural ingredients. 100% inert. 100% non toxic.” On the FAQ section of Bioval’s website, they specifically state,

The BBB MAX are not made of glass…

Moving on to the safety section of Bioval’s website, we are presented with links to the Material Safety Data Sheets for both their BBB and BBBMAX products.  Let’s compare the relevant sections from each of these sheets.

	BBB	BBBMAX
Chemical composition	Component name % by wt CAS Reg NoStarch Derivative 66.12% Protein 8.84% Oil/Fat 4.24% Crude Fiber 2.67% Ash 1.29% Sugars 1.84% Moisture 15%	Component name % by wt CAS Reg No Trade Secret. Information not available.
Melting point range	135° ~ 185° centigrade	500° – 1800° centigrade
Specific gravity ( H2O = 1 )	1.75 ~ 1.95	No known data
Hazardous Information	May cause serious damage to material damage to targeted areas. Flammable – will ignite if in contact to open flames for extended periods of time.	May shatter when impacting hard surfaces. May cause serious material damage to targeted areas. Flammable – No.
Stability and reactivity	Stability – Stable. Incompatible materials – Hot aromatic, chlorinated solvents and hot strong oxidants.	Stability – Stable. Incompatible materials – Strong acids. Strong Base. Oxidizing agents.

From the MSDS sheets, we can see that the BBB and BBBMAX are made from greatly different materials.  The BBB is made from Bioval’s biodegradable recipe while the BBBMAX’s composition is a trade secret and not disclosed.  The BBBMAX has a hugely higher melting point and it is listed as nonflammable.  Also note the caution that the BBBMAX may shatter while there is no similar caution for the BBB.  The BBB can be dissolved by solvents while strong acids and bases are required to dissolve the BBBMAX.  Finally, there is no specific gravity (related to density) listed for the BBBMAX.  Knowing the specific gravity of an unknown material can help us determine the its identity.

Fortunately, we know both the approximate diameter (6mm) and the weight of these BBs (0.27g), so we can calculate a specific gravity for them.

So the BBBMAX has a greater specific gravity (2.4) than the BBB.  This makes sense given their identical volume yet varying weights.

Bioval never specifically states the material the BBBMAX is made from other than stating that they are not made of glass.  Perhaps Levante Labs, the entity Bioval contracted to provide safety testing of the BBBMAX, mentioned what they were made of in their report?  In this report, Levante Labs only refers to the BBBMAX as a “harder BB” while it refers to all other BBs as “plastic and bio degradable”.  These terms are used consistently throughout the report.

Conclusion

So if BBBMAX aren’t plastic or biodegradable, then what are they made of?  What material

• Shatters on impact,
• Has a melting point of 500° to 1800° centigrade,
• Has a density of about 2.4 g/cm^3,
• Is not flammable,
• Can be dissolved by strong acids and bases,
• Is made of natural ingredients and is non-toxic,
• and finally, is transparent?

The only material that comes to mind that has all these properties yet is cheap enough to be a candidate for disposable BBs is glass.  For comparison, here is a material safety data sheet for a type of optical glass (meaning transparent) with a density and melting point that closely match those of the BBBMAX.  The BK-7 optical glass from that MSDS has a melting point of 532° C while the Bioval claims the BBBMAX has a melting point of 500° C or above and the BK-7  has a specific gravity of 2.39g/cm³ while the BBBMAX has a specific gravity of approximately 2.4g/cm³.

Remember where Bioval claimed on their FAQ that the BBBMAX is not glass?  This is now a little hard to believe.  If a material behaves like, melts like, dissolves like, weighs like, and looks like glass; one would tend to believe that it was glass.  If they are in fact, some form of glass, does this not conflict with Bioval’s statement on their safety page that the BBBMAX meets the MILPOL requirement of biodegradability?

Coming Soon…

We here at Chairsoft Press are planning a series of physical tests on these BBs and a discussion of the results.  Stay tuned.

Sources:

Below are links to images of each of the referenced pages on Bioval’s website as they appeared at the time of writing this article.  Relevant information has been highlighted in yellow.

Bioval

Bioval BBB – Material Safety Sheet

Bioval BBBMAX – Material Safety Sheet

Bioval BBBMAX – Levante Labs Balistic BB Test

Newport Glass

Update (6-29-2010):

I have read numerous discussions of my article in airsoft circles and the most common response amongst Bioval fans seems to be that I am totally off base.  Their argument is that just because I found one property to be common between my specific glass example and the BBBMAX it was inappropriate that I concluded that they are similar.

What these individuals are overlooking is the fact that I found every material property published in Bioval’s MSDS matches that of a specific type of optical glass that I stumbled upon.  Not one of the naysayers has been able to provide a candidate material that matches nearly as well.  Material properties such as specific gravity, melting point, and solubility are totally appropriate for use in material identification.   Even qualitative observations such as a material’s look and feel can be useful in identification. I only regret that I don’t have the equimpent to carry out laboratory grade experiments on these BBs myself.  As is stands, I see no difference between the BBBMAX and glass.

I have had a sample of these tested by a friend of a friend.  I can’t claim this as a primary source with any sort of official documentation so I just post it as an additional anecdote for the mass of the internet.

Sean, I brought the “BB”s to a geologist and he has looked at the round under a micro scope and they are glass.

___________________________________________________________

Actually there is a substantial (50+ page, trust me I read it) non biased report done by a Swedish company that details the ballistics of the bio-val bb’s and a variety of other brands of bb’s.  This report showed that the Bioval bb’s do the same amount of damage to soft surfaces but cause substantial amount of damage due to the focused impact of a non-deforming round.
The Bio-val bb’s are a acrylic compound.  Due to their size and density they do not deform on impact similar to the other brands on the market.
Thus, I dont allow these bb’s on our field.

___________________________________________________________

Sean, trust me they are 100% wrong. I did a refractive index test on a few of them NOTHING made has the same refractive index as glass (1.542-1.546). NOTHING, no plastic made. They are glass. Also both acrylic or lexan have the a lower hardness on the Rockwell scale, {glass is 5.5 and acrylic is 5 at the most} these BBs tested at 5.75 which is below temped glass harder than standard window glass.

BIOVAL are made of glass. I am willing to bet as much beer as you want on it. If I could do a chemical test I would, right now I have the BB’s at a gemologist so he can look at them under a microscope and give me his opinion. I already know what it will be.

Even bullet proof polycarbonate isn’t as “hard” as these BB’s. Which has the highest rating on the plastic scale of hardness.

As for my own experiences, I have seen these bbs shatter into razor sharp fragments and shatter tempered glass when shot from a 1.5J gun.  These issues may not be relevant to airsofters who play outdoors and away from structures, but they are for those of us who play indoors where broken glass would be a huge safety concern.