How Oil Is Recycled

June 21, 2018

Motor oil, like all petroleum-based products, is extremely environmentally taxing to extract and refine. When not disposed of correctly, it’s also exceedingly damaging to the local ecology. Thankfully, motor oil is virtually indestructible, and is easily recycled. With proper care and knowledge, even the dirtiest oil can be cleaned and filtered and used again and again.
It’s important to realize that when oil is used, it becomes dirty, but it doesn’t lose the properties that make it an excellent lubricant. Filtration and replenishment are the two most significant aspects of the processes surrounding motor oil recycling.

Whether you’re a casual car enthusiast who tinkers with vehicles in your garage or own and operate your own oil change shop, it’s extremely important that you recycle your motor oil through the appropriate and proper channels. Failing to recycle motor oil isn’t just environmentally damaging—in many jurisdictions, it’s actually illegal.
Partnering with a local company specializing in waste oil collection in St. Bernard, LA is the best way to ensure that you’re disposing of your spent motor oil correctly. Here are just some of the ways that companies recycle used motor oil after it’s been collected:

  • On-site reconditioning: This type of recycling is most commonly found at large-scale industrial operations that use massive quantities of oil on a daily basis. On-site reconditioning consists of an advanced filtration process that extends the usable lifespan of existing oil supplies.
  • Energy production: Some oil is filtered out and then burned for energy production. While this is a relatively common type of oil recycling, it is often seen as the least desirable recycling methodology because, once the oil is burned, it cannot be reprocessed and recycled again.
  • Gasoline refining: Spent motor oil may be fed into the front end of the gasoline refining process. Through this process, the oil is refined further down to its base elements and converted into gasoline, suitable for use in vehicles and in power generation. Like raw oil energy production, this is seen as one of the less desirable oil recycling methods.
  • Recycled into base stock: The best way to recycle spent oil is also one of the simplest. To re-refine oil into base stock, recyclers filter out all of the water and contaminants that may be inside the oil. From this point, they add the re-refined oil into a larger pool of virgin motor oil that’s been freshly processed.

Since 1998, Safeway Used Oil & Grease has been the premier provider of used motor oil disposal in St. Bernard, LA. We offer safe, high-quality waste oil collection services throughout the greater St. Bernard Parish region. Our business emphasizes environmental safety and responsibility. We are accredited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If you’re looking for a dependable partner to help you dispose of your spent motor oil, look no further than Safeway Used Oil & Grease. To learn more about how we can help you eliminate your extraneous oil, contact one of our friendly representatives today!

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