MINISTRY OF ENERGY
The Office of Fossil Energy of the United States Department of Energy, under the leadership of former Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg, published a report on the impact of re-refining used oils. The report recommends increasing the use of used oils and lubricants to produce more high-quality oils, fuels, and other basic products.
KEY FINDINGS:
• Higher-quality used motor oils can enable future efficiency gains in the re-refining process and produce higher-quality base oils and other downstream products. Finding more effective ways to support the reuse of used oils is a top priority.
• The EPA supports the re-refining of used oils because it closes the recycling loop by returning used oil to its original form. This process uses less energy and less virgin oil.
• Life cycle analysis results suggest that re-refined used oils have a lower energy and environmental impact compared to the production of virgin oils from base oils.
• Re-refined base oil is comparable to virgin base oils and can be used in the production of motor and industrial oils. The recycled product meets standards established by the American Petroleum Institute and the International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee.
