Recycled Base Oil
What Is Used Oil?
Recycled Base Oil : Used oil or waste oil is any type of mineral oil used in the
production and industrial processes as lubricants or heat transmitter.
During the operation, the oil reacts with oxygen and produces unsaturated polar
compounds or asphalt.
Moreover, it may also get contaminated by impurities such as dust, fuels, carbon,
and metal particles.
Therefore, it loses efficiency for the process. Indeed, most of the oil lubricants in
machines lose functionality due to all possible contamination by chemical
additives and the byproducts of the operation.
Used oil includes a variety of origins such as:
Industrially used oils: gear oil, engine oil
Emulsions: cutting oil, soluble oil
Clear and transparent oil
Transformer oil
Recycled Base oil
Industrial waste oil and motor oil, also known as the black oil, form the major
portion of the used oil.
The quality and contamination rate of the used oil varies according to the type and
the quality of the fuel, and the mechanical condition of the engine.
Additionally, the amount of released gases from the fuel effects used oil’s quality.
These gases make the oil acidic.
Metal particles, moreover, act as catalysts at high temperatures and form more
asphalt and sludge in the presence of oxygen, which increases the oil viscosity.
How is base oil recycled?
Used oil recycling happens with various methods such as distillation method,
acidic method (sulfuric acid), non-acidic method (alkaline – bentonite or dye),
centrifugation, and hydrogenation.
First, recyclers purchase burnt oils are from places such as mechanics and the oil
changers. Then, they store them in the factory and begin the refining stages.
There are often some contaminations, e.g. water, diesel, heavy metal shavings in
the purchased oil, which are separated at first. Steel producers use these metals as
scrap feed.
In simple terms, gear oil recycling includes several steps as below.
Separating water and solid particles by sedimentation
Sulfuric acid reaction to remove grease, gum
Alkaline reaction to neutralize the acid
Rinse with water to remove soap
Simple distillation to remove moisture and volatile oil
decolorizing and absorbing impurities by using clay
Filtering to remove the clay and other solid particles
Hydrogenation to improve color
Blending to specific features
According to Section 279, various terms related to the process and management of
oils and hazardous burnt oils are determined.
The waste of used oil refineries is also recyclable; for example, it is consumable in
the industries of bitumen, paraffin wax, and mineral pumice.
Distilled Recycled Base Oil SN 150
The main advantage of the Infinity Galaxy distilled recycled base oil is the color of
this lubricant will not change during a long time and it is stable.
This color stability of Infinity Galaxy recycled base oil has made it too popular in
the market, because it shows its high quality.
Besides the color stability, in the following there exist other reasons that Infinity
Galaxy supplies distilled recycled base oil:
1. It has less environmental side effects
2. It is cost effective
3. This method is done faster than other methods
4. Its flash point is in a suitable range (more than 180 ℃)
5. It has high Viscosity
Why recycled base oil is more popular?
Discharge of used oil is a risky job. It can leave drastic environmental footprints, in
case of wrong unloading.
But Each gallon of waste oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of groundwater and
its deposition in the soil prevents the growth of plants.
Therefore, its disposal is legally prohibited in industrialized countries.
Furthermore, burning waste oil is hazardous and dangerous.
Waste oil is a heterogeneous mixture of low-flammable components such as
gasoline and light solvents, which can explode exposing to the fire. Additionally,
burning used oil pollutes the air because it contains metals that enter the air
through the smoke.
Used oil with the metals is often the waste of oil changing in cars, trucks,
locomotives, ships, and other industrial and agricultural machinery. The main part
of the oil is mineral or synthetic hydrocarbons.
Not all the used oil is recyclable. The oil used as lubricants or in two-stroke
engines loses its lubricating effects. It happens for two reasons:
Pollution from internal and external sources
Formation of chemical additives
In this stage, the waste oil is not suitable for recycling anymore.
But Many companies in the globe recycle used oil and gear oil.
But only 10% of the 1.3 billion gallons of used engine oil are refined worldwide
each year. Hence, Recycled base oil accounts for 5% of the lubricants market.
What are recycled oil applications?
Recycled gear oil is applicable for lubricating electric motors, large industrial
chainsaws, old motors in mechanical and industrial machines, and simple devices
due to its low price. It is practical in many industrial sites, factories, and some car
repair shop.
In some countries, recycled gear oil is extremely popular as fuel supplements.
What is the best transportation for recycled oil?
A Flexi-bag, also known as Flexi tank, is a thick bag for conveying containers of
non-corrosive and non-hazardous liquids. The maximum tolerable temperature in
Flexi tank is +70 °C, and the minimum tolerable temperature is -50 °C.
Types of Flexi tanks
Based on the number of discharge and loading valves and their location, Flexi-bags
contain three categories as bellow.
Single valve Flexi tank: loading and unloading valve located on the top
Single valve Flexi tank: loading and unloading valve located at the bottom
Two-valve Flexi tank: the loading valve is on the top, and the discharge valve is at
the bottom
What are the advantages of transporting recycled oil by Flexi tanks?
Flexi tank has reduced the cost of non-hazardous materials transportation
comparing to ISO Tanks and other methods of transportation such as barrels, IBCs,
and tankers.
But Easy installation facilitates operation without highly specialized knowledge.
The top and bottom valves provide a variety of loading and unloading capabilities.
After unloading, the size of the Flexi tank shrinks to about one cubic meter by
folding, which is equal to 2% of its loaded size. These are some of the advantages
of Flexi tank:
1. Door-to-Door portability without changing the container
2. Facile transportation by a variety of vehicles and containers
3. One-way shipping, no need to return the container
4. Low cost of transportation by float tow truck compared to a tanker tow truck
5. Simple loading and unloading by just one person
6. Prevents contamination
7. Being at least one ton lighter than ISO Tanks
Recycled Base Oil Specification
The recycled base oil specification is as below:
Recycled Base Oil Specification
CHARACTERISTICS TEST METHOD UNIT MIN. MAX.
Kinematic Viscosity @ 100 ˚C ASTM D-445 CST 2.5 4
Kinematic Viscosity @ 40 ˚C ASTM D-445 CST 16 30
Viscosity Index ASTM D-2270 – 110 130
Flash Point ASTM D-92 ˚C 170 190
Density @15 ˚C ASTM D-4052 kg/m3 0.855 0.875
Color ASTM D-1500 – 1.5 3
Recycled Used Oil Inspection
Buying recycled used oil, consider crucial criteria of color, density, and flashpoint.
Color: 1.5 – 2.5
Density: 0.870 – 0.890
Flash Point> 180 C
Here you can see a sample of the inspection report for recycled base oil by Infinity
Galaxy.
