DISPOSAL & RE-REFINING OF USED LUBRICATING OIL

G.S.Dang & M.O. Garg Indian Institute of Petroleum Dehradun 248005

23rd August-2003

Presentation Outline
Introduction Used oil contaminants/ composition Disposal practices Re-refining of used lubricating oils Economics of re-refining Observations/Recommendations

Introduction

Lube oil - Highest value component of crude oils.

Applications in automotives & industries.

Prolonged use causes degradation/ contaminants of lube oils.

Degraded oils, not fit for intended use, are discarded - referred as used oils.
Used oils usually contain toxic substances making them hazardous products.
Contd..

Introduction (contd.)

Negative environmental impacts/public health hazards are associated with the improper storage, handling, transportation, treatment and disposal of used lubricating oils. Adverse impact on human health & environment demands effective management of used lubricating oils.

Introduction (contd.)

Used lubricating oil being a resource, effective management of it encourages:

- Conservation of resources

- Minimization of waste

One gallon of used oil can pollute more than one million gallons of drinking water Recycling/ Rerefining it into reusable products can prevent damage to land, air, water and health.
Recycling used oil(s), rather than letting it enter the waste stream , is the best way to handle/ manage it.

Used Oil Contaminants/Composition USED OIL includes:

- Engine Oil: Typically crankcase oils from automobiles, trucks etc. - Transmission fluid &

- Spent industrial oils, removed from equipments or machines.

Contd..

Used Oil Contaminants/Composition (contd..)

Contaminants in used lubricating oils (Automotive & Industrial) - Heavy metals e.g. lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc etc.

- Halogenated solvents
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) including benzene. - Fuel components, sediments and water.
Contd..

Used Oil Contaminants & their hazards

Contaminant Source Hazards

Lead
PNAs/PAHs Metals ( Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni, etc) Halogenated solvents PCBs

Gasoline, Bearings Combustion products Additives & Engine Wear Cleaning solvents
Insulating Oils

Metal fatigue
Carcinogenic Toxic

Flammable
Toxic

Particulates

Combustion products & sediments

Breathing Problem

Used Oil Contaminants/Composition (contd..)

Typical Composition Of Used Oil

Components
Water

Wt% (approx)
5-9

Light ends
Gas oil

2-4
4-7

Base oil
Residue

75-64
13-17

Disposal Practices

Unacceptable practices
Acceptable practices

Unacceptable practices

Dumping to ground, watercourses, sewers, drainage system etc.

Burial Use for dust control, weed abatement, timber preservation by painting, pest control etc.
Contd..

Unacceptable practices (contd..)

Placing used oil in garbage bins.

Open air burning, incomplete combustion ( short residence low temperature burning) of used lubricating oil.

Any other processing of used lubricating oil causing pollution exceeding statutory requirements. Any discharge of residues generated from processing of used lubricating oils. Other practices in which the used oil may cause or have impact on humans, plants, animals, or other organisms.

Acceptable practices

Reconditioning of used oils by removing impurities. This form of recycling might not restore the oil to its original condition but it prolongs its life.
Reconditioned oil can be delivered to petroleum refinery and introduced as a feed stock into the front end of refinery process.
Contd..

Acceptable practices (contd..)

Re-refining used lubricating oils to recover base oil or other petroleum fractions as long as the processes and their products are environmentally sound Used oil processing to remove water and particulates so that it can be burned as fuel to generate heat or to power industrial operations. Not a preferred form of recycling because it enables the oil to be reused only once.

Acceptable practices (contd..)

Recycling through Re-refining- A preferred option since the oil is used number of times. The key is base oil does not wear out; it can be recycled over and over againResource Conservation.
Other benefits includes:

- Reduces pollution threat.

- Reduce dependence on imported oil. - Re-refining is energy efficient. - Provides direct and indirect employment.

Re-refining of used lubricating oils

Countries all over the world including United States, UK, France, Italy, Canada, India, South Africa, Israel, Australia and New Zealand etc. re-refine used oils into lubricating oil base stocks.
Regulations/Rules to handle and process used oil(s) exist in each of these countries.

Contd

Re-refining of used lubricating oils (contd..)

MoEF, New Delhi has categorized used lubricating oil as hazardous product and to be handled/disposed off as per HW Rules.

Specifications for used oils suitable for Re-refining/Recycling in India are listed as below [Notified in hazardous waste (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules 2003, Schedule 5 & 6]

Specifications for used oil suitable for Re-refining (Schedule-5)

Sr. No.
1. 2. 3.

Parameters Colour Water Density

Maximum permissible limit 8 hazen units 15% 0.85-0.95

4.

Kin. Viscosity (cSt @ 100 0 C)

Diluents

1.0-32.0
15% vol

5.

6.

Neutralization No. (mg KOH/g)

3.5
Contd..

Specifications for used oil suitable for Re-refining (Schedule-5, contd..)

Sr. No. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Parameters Saponification value (mg KOH/g) Total halogens, ppm PCBs Lead, ppm Arsenic, ppm (Cd + Cr + Ni), ppm Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) Maximum permissible limit 18 4000 ND 100 5 500 6% (v/v)

Specifications for waste oil suitable for Recycling (Schedule-6)

Sr. No. Parameters Maximum permissible limit

1.
2.

Sediment
Heavy metals, ppm ( Cd + Cr + Ni + As +Pb)

5%
605

3.
4. 5.

Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)

Total Halogens Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

6% (v/v)
4000 ND

* Waste oil: Unsuitable for re-refining , but can be used as fuel in furnaces, if meets specifications laid down in Schedule-6

Re-refining of Used Oils

Motor/Automotive Oils
Industrial Oils

Re-Refining of Motor oils

Modern lubricating oils are based upon oils refined from crude oil/petroleum, synthetic oils or mixture of two. Blended with additives to extend range of operating temperatures, to keep solids in suspension & to discourage formation of deposits.
Contd

Re-Refining of Motor oils (contd..)

Regardless of the base oil and additives, all lubricating oils eventually become contaminated through use with substances that are threat to the environment. Contaminants arise out of various reactions occurring in lube oils during use e.g. oxidation, cracking, decomposition of polymeric materials, organo-metallic compounds and polymerisation of hydrocarbons, etc. Diluents like fuel, water and antifreeze also accumulate while metal content of used oil is also important besides polynuclear aromatics.
Contd

Re-Refining of Motor oils (contd..)

The degraded oil is drained out of equipment / engine replaced with fresh stock. With advancement in engine design and improvement in quality of lube oils, the drains intervals have been prolonged substantially.

Re-refining of Motor Oils (contd..)

Used Motor Oils include:

- Vehicle Crankcase Oil - Engine Lubricating Oil - Transmission Fluids - Gearbox Oils

Motor oils undergo an extensive rerefining

process to remove contaminants such as dirt, fuel, water, and degraded additives to produce a good as new base oil.
Contd

Re-refining of Motor Oils (contd..)

No compromise in quality of re-refined oil. Base oil blended with addive packages to produce lubricants such as - Motor oil - Transmission fluid - Greases

Contd..

Re-Refining of Industrial Oils

Used Industrial oils include:

- Hydraulic oils
- Compressor oils

- Turbine oils
- Bearing oils - Gear oils - Transformer (electrical)oils
Contd

Re-Refining of Industrial Oils (contd..)

- Refrigeration oils - Metal working oils - Rail road oils

Used Industrial oils generally have minimal contamination and hence can be cleaned up with simple process steps (Reclaiming) for example used oils such as Hydraulic oils , transformer oils are heated to evaporate moisture followed by simple filtration to get relatively clean products to be re-used.
Contd

Used Oil Re-refining Technologies

PROCESS ACID-CLAY (Being phased out PRETREAT SETTLING, DECANTATION & DEHYDRATION REFINING ACID TREATMENT AND SLUDGE SEPARATION PROPANE EXTRACTION AND ACID TREATING PROPANE EXTRACTION AND VACUUM DISTILLATION PROPANE EXTRACTION AND VACUUM DISTILLATION FINISHING CLAY TREATMENT AND FUEL REMOVAL

IFP

DEHYDRATION AND DEFUELING

CLAY CONTACTING

IFP- SNAM PROGRETTI

DEHYDRATION AND DEFUELING

HYDROTREATING

INTERLINE

DEHYDRATION AND DEFUELING

CLAY TREATING

Used Oil Re-refining Technologies (contd.)

PROCESS PRETREAT DEHYDRATION AND DEFUELING REFINING VACUUM DISTILLATION/ THIN FILM EVAPORATION FINISHING HYDROFINISHING KTI

SAFETYKLEEN MOHWAK

CHEMICAL TREATMENT/ DITILLATION

VACUUM DISTILLATION/ THIN FILM EVAPORATION

THERMAL DEASPHALTIN G/ VACUUM DISTILLATION THIN FILM EVAPORATION WITH INTERNAL CONDENSOR

HYDROFINISHING

VISCOLUBE IFP

DYHYDRATION AND FUEL REMOVAL DYHYDRATION AND FUEL REMOVAL

HYDROTREAT

CEP

HYDROFINISHING

Used Oil Re-refining Technologies (contd.)

MoEF , New Delhi, India has approved only the following re-refining technologies being more environment friendly: - Vacuum distillation followed by Clay treatment. - Vacuum distillation followed by Hydrotreating. - Thin film evaporation process or - Any other technology approved by MoEF.

General Re-refining Scheme

Used oil
Dehydration Fuel Stripping

Lube oil base Stock

Vacuum distillation or Solvent extraction Finishing Clay/ Hydro finishing

Economics of Re-refining

Re-refined oil prices comparable to equivalent virgin oil product pricing. Re-refined oil prices are affected by following variables: - Used oil feed stock cost - Availability - Transportation cost - Re-refining process used
Contd

Economics of Re-refining (contd..)

- Regulatory compliance to dispose off residues. - Scale of operation

Other points which also affect economics are:

- Crude oil prices - Residue/bottom disposal cost and - Clean up liability

Re-refining processes are economically viable only with larger capacities

Contd..

Economics of Re-refining (contd..)

Barriers to profitable environment friendly used oil re-refining : - High capital cost of equipment

- High operating cost

- Environment treatment problems

- Large collection costs

- Hydrotreating re-refined oil

Collection/Storage of Used Oils

Collection/Storage of Used Oils

For used oils to be re-refined properly/economically it is essential that different types of oils are collected/stored separately

Used oil is usually stored in above ground containers. No contamination of used oils with other wastes such as halogenated solvents etc.
Contd

Collection/Storage of Used Oils (contd..)

Label all containers and tanks as Used Oil & keep them in good condition. Rusting of tanks, leakage deterioration not to be allowed.

Store used oil in impervious flooring contaminant.

areas with oil and secondary

Tanks and/or containers of used oil should be placed in weather proof area and should be kept away from incompatible materials

Availability of Used Oil

200-300 TMT/ year of used lubricating oil is estimated to be generated in India.

Bulk of used lubricating oil is generated by:

- State Road Transport Corporation - Railways - Large fleet operators

- Defence establishments
- Steel plants

Observations/ Recommendations

Used oil is the valuable resource need to be managed properly. Re-refining is the most appropriate way to recover quality lube oil base stock.

Acid- clay re-refining process is being phased out and more environmental friendly re-refining technologies are taking its place.
Contd..

Observations/ Recommendations (contd..)

Lubricating oil base stocks produced from modern re-refining technologies have performance parameters equivalent to virgin base stock for use in engine oils, hydraulic fluids, gear lubes and other lubricant applications The quality of used oil plays important role in process economics so proper collection of used oil is to be ensured. Also special attempts are required to collect at least 50% of the consumption of fresh lube oils (Collection at present is just 20%).
Contd..

Observations/ Recommendations (contd..)

Since PCBs and PNAs/PAHs presence make used oil unsuitable for re-refining. Therefore care should be taken during used oil collection/ storage to avoid mixing of these. There seems to be good prospect for using re-refining processes based on vacuum / Thin film distillation followed by clay/ hydrofinishing. However with hydrofinishing economical viable capacity of re-refining unit is generally higheraround 10,000 tonnes per annum Incentives to be given to used oil generators/collectors and processors for making re-refining industry a progressing one.

Thank You