Oil keeps our cars, factories, and machines running smoothly. But, once oil is used, it must be discarded properly to keep it from contaminating the environment. Oil does not wear out... it just gets dirty—so recycling it saves a valuable resource. Recycling used oil is the preferred way of handling used oil to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.
Used oil can be rerefined into lubricants, processed into fuel oils, and used as raw materials for the refining and petrochemical industries. Used oil filters contain reusable scrap metal, which steel producers can use as scrap feed.
To recycle used oil, processors and refiners remove water, insolubles, dirt, heavy metals, nitrogen, chlorine, and oxygenated compounds from oil drained from automobiles or other machines. The resulting product, called “rerefined” oil, must meet the same stringent refining, compounding, and performance standards as virgin oil for use in automotive, heavy-duty diesel, and other internal combustion engines, and hydraulic fluids and gear oils. Extensive laboratory testing and field studies conclude that rerefined oil is equivalent to virgin oil—it passes all prescribed tests and, in some situations, even outperforms virgin oil.
Re-Refined Oil Facts
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