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Oil recycling can take many forms and its benefits are manifold. Many companies around the world are recycling oil that would otherwise be wasted so that it can be sold again. One way to recycle oil is to collect it at places like car repair shops, where gallons of used oil can be collected. Different oils and their management affect many systems, including economic and ecologic systems.
Industrial Oil Recycling and its Management
In Spain alone, 300,000 gallons of industrial waste oil are generated every year. If even a small percentage of that oil could be recovered, the economic and ecological benefits will be immense.
Industrial oil, like all oils, loses its quality while being used in mechanical processes. It loses viscosity and becomes contaminated with other substances it picks up as it travels through the machine it’s being used in. The oil’s chemical components begin to break down, leading to dangerous substances appearing, such as chlorine or sulfur.
Typically, the oil recycling process begins at the oil’s generation point, such as warehouses or factories. The oil is then sent to a transfer center where its contamination level and composition are determined. After this analysis, it is then sent out to undergo one of three processes:
- Regeneration: The oil is distilled to remove water, sediments, additives, heavy metals, and other contaminants, then reused as lubricant bases for the manufacture of new oils.
- Recycling: The recycling process allows the oil to be used in certain products and processes.
- Energy Recovery: Several industries use waste oil to make their products, including cement and paper.
With improving technology and a greater appreciation of how oil can be recycled to reduce costs, more industries will likely be using waste oil and recycled oil in their processes over the coming years and decades to come.