Used Motor Oil

Used motor oil is insoluble, slow to degrade and can contain heavy metals. Used motor oil, if not disposed of properly or recycled, can be a source of contamination in waterways and can result in pollution of drinking-water sources.

“We all have a responsibility to help protect the environment,” said Matt McHale, Associate Brand Manager at Castrol. “Castrol is dedicated to helping the public find quick and simple ways to recycle used motor oil and lower the possibility of improper disposal.”

According to Castrol, part of the teaching process is to clarify misconceptions regarding the issue. A common misconception is that oil recycling centers are difficult to find. However, there are more than 30,000 convenient recycling centers nationwide, and a majority of automotive shops and quick lube retailers will take used motor oil if it is in a proper container, like a sealable, approved oil drip pan or a motor oil bottle.

“EPA appreciates the efforts of entities like Castrol who provide consumers with information about the importance and convenience of recycling used motor oil,” said Matt Hale, Director of EPA’s Office of Solid Waste. “Recycling used motor oil conserves energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and prevents the possible contamination of our nation’s drinking water supplies.”

Why recycle antifreeze?
Dumping waste antifreeze may be illegal: waste antifreeze may
contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and chromium in
high enough levels to make it a regulated hazardous waste. A hazardous
waste may never be dumped on land or discharged into a
sanitary sewer, storm drain, ditch, dry well or septic system.
It’s Cost-Effective: recycled antifreeze is less expensive than virgin
antifreeze.

It Saves Resources: ethylene glycol is produced from natural gas,
a non-renewable resource.

Waste antifreeze should be recycled either I) in an on-site
unit, 2) by a mobile service, or 3) off-site.

Many sewage treatment agencies responsible
for wastewater treatment discourage
or forbid waste antifreeze disposal into
sanitary sewers.

Waste antifreeze should never be disposed of down storm drains or
into surface waters because it causes serious water quality problems
and may harm people, pets or wildlife. Doing so is illegal and punishable
by fines of up to $25,000.

Recycling Thoughts

Many of us drop off our car for routine maintenance and feel good about the fact that this responsible habit improves our car’s efficiency. But what else is going on under the hood? Where do all of those “used” car fluids go?

It is just as important to know the answers to these questions as it is to recycle car fluids such as motor oil, transmission fluid and antifreeze. For those farmers, independent businesses, car pools and others eager to save a few bucks by doing their own routine maintenance, be sure to reuse or recycle all car fluids.

Saves Money

Motor oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, power steering fluid and gear oil can all be recycled, and depending on specifics, this process can cost significantly less than manufacturing new products. Many auto repair shops can recycle some fluids like antifreeze onsite, and these businesses can pass their savings along to the consumer.

BIOREMEDIATION can effectively degrade the following contaminants:
Hydrocarbons with carbon chains ranging from C-5 to C-40
Benzene, xylene and toluene
TCE
PAH
PCB and other chlorinated compounds
Fuel oils
Fossil fuels – gasoline, diesel, aviation gas
Condensate – leakage from pipelines
Glycols

BIOREMEDIATION BENEFITS
Thorough degradation in a relatively narrow time window.
Simultaneous multiple activity.
Toxin resistant.
Reduced risk / higher degree of safety.
Reduced labor and equipment costs.

What is Bioremediation?

Bioremediation or bioaugmentation is the process of using naturally occurring microbes to digest and convert unwanted waste material into harmless substances. Our bioremediation products use “friendly bacteria” to digest and covert FOG into carbon dioxide and water.

Here is how it works:

A: The waste material is examined and certain bacteria are isolated based on their efficiency at digesting and converting the waste.

B: The bacteria then go through a series of tests for performance and safety.

C: Microbes/bacteria are next placed back in the waste environment in high concentrations.

D: The bacteria grow and thrive and in the process digest and convert the waste into carbon dioxide and water.

E: The bacteria die-off naturally.

How do I know if I am improperly disposing of used motor oil?

If you are pouring used motor oil on the ground, into a storm drain or throwing it in your trash can (even in a sealed container), you are improperly disposing of your used motor oil. This used motor oil can work its way to local lakes, streams and water ways, polluting local water bodies and drinking water supplies, as well as damaging aquatic environments and wildlife. Used motor oil may contain potentially toxic substances, such as lead, benzene, zinc or magnesium. According to the U.S. EPA, over 40% of our nation’s oil pollution comes from the improper disposal of used motor oil by DIYers.

As you can see, recycled used oil probably touches your life every day without you even knowing it. As consumers, we all benefit from recycling used motor oil. From augmenting our oil supplies and helping to generate heat, to protecting the environment, recycling used oil just makes good sense.

Environmental and Health Protection

Oil Spills & other Dangerous Fluids

One gallon of motor oil has the potential to contaminate one million gallons of water, and Oil Spills are a major cause of polluted waterways and drinking water. Motor oil is insoluble in water and can stick to everything from beach sand to bird feathers.

• As antifreeze biodegrades in water, it lowers the level of dissolved oxygen and kills aquatic life. It also tastes sweet (take our word for it), which makes it enticing and potentially deadly to animals and children.
• Used automotive fluid can contain hazardous levels of heavy metals including lead, which have the potential to cause nervous system damage to humans and animals alike.

Salmon Chowder

We had some leftover Chinook salmon and a little bit of shrimp fed mackinaw as well. (We always cook a little extra, so we can make the following great recipe with natural gourmet ingredients)
Saute:
3T Butter
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced or powder to taste

ADD
2 c. potatoes, diced
2 cans or 4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dill weed
2 diced carrots

Simmer for 20 minutes.

ADD
1 can creamed corn
13 oz. can of evaporated milk
10 or more ounces of leftover fish or canned salmon
boneless fillets for us

Heat thoroughly….serve with other favorite garnishes of your choosing.

Pneumatic Vacuum in Action

There are many practical uses for used motor oil. A primary use is to re-refine it into a base stock for lubricating oil. This process is very similar to the refining of crude oil. The result is that the re-refined oil is of as high a quality as a virgin oil product. In fact, re-refining used oil takes from 50 to 85 percent less energy than refining crude oil.

A secondary use of the used oil is to burn it for energy. Large industrial boilers can efficiently burn the used oil with minimum pollution. As a result some used oil is sent to power plants or cement kilns to be burned as fuel. On a smaller scale small quantities of used oil are burned in specially designed heaters to provide space heating for small businesses.

With a pneumatic vacuum like the Spillpro, there are many businesses out there that would benefit from the added filter to clean oil well enough to use in used oil burners. The simple reuse of oil with this tool can save money and the local environment.

As you can see, recycled used oil probably touches your life every day without you even knowing it. As consumers, we all benefit from recycling used motor oil. From augmenting our oil supplies and helping to generate heat, to protecting the environment, recycling oil just makes good sense.

Benefits of Recycling

These days, it is relatively common for people to recycle paper, glass and metals (aluminum and steel). The infrastructure and services for this recycling activity are available and relatively well understood. However the recycling of petroleum products is less well known and sometimes confusing. Regulators and recycling agencies have effectively communicated with businesses the need for and benefits of recycling used oil but more can be done to communicate with individuals who work on their cars or trucks in the garage at home. These individuals generate significant quantities of used petroleum products that need to be recycled.

Many individuals who are unfamiliar with the importance of recycling used oil are unconsciously harming the environment by throwing it away with their normal garbage or emptying their used oil into storm drains. Such actions, especially emptying used oil into storm drains, can cause real harm to the environment. To put it into perspective, just one gallon of used oil can contaminate 1 million gallons of water.

Recycling your used motor oil keeps it out of our rivers, lakes, streams and even the ground water. In many cases, that means keeping it out of our drinking water, off our beaches, and away from wildlife. We all share the responsibility of protecting our environment and keeping our waters safe. Recycling used oil allows us to continue to enjoy what many of us take for granted every day – clean water.