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Motor oil is essential for the operation of vehicles, but with use it accumulates impurities that affect its properties and make it necessary to replace it periodically. However, disposing of it incorrectly can cause serious environmental damage.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that used oil can contaminate soil and water sources. For this reason, it recommends recycling it through processes that make it possible to recover the material and use it again instead of throwing it away as trash.
What to do with used motor oil according to the EPA?
The EPA recommends recycling or reusing used motor oil instead of discarding it because it can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals capable of contaminating soil and water.
According to the agency, the oil used in a single engine oil change can contaminate up to one million gallons of fresh water, an amount equivalent to the annual supply of 50 people.
For those who change their vehicle oil at home, the EPA recommends following these guidelines:
- Collect used oil carefully to avoid spills.
- Store it in a sturdy, airtight container that does not leak.
- Consult with auto repair shops, waste collection services, or local authorities about where recycling centers are located.
- Drain used oil filters and take them to authorized collection centers.
In this way, the oil can enter a recycling process that allows its properties to be recovered and used again.
How does the used oil recycling cycle work?
According to what the EPA specifies on its official website, motor oil does not completely lose its usefulness through use, but rather accumulates impurities such as dirt, metal particles, water and other substances that affect its operation.
With a good recycling process, this material can be used again. In general, the following steps are followed:
- Collection: used oil is stored in suitable containers and delivered to authorized facilities.
- Re-refining: used oil is subjected to industrial processes to obtain new lubricant bases.
- Processing as fuel: recovered oil can also be transformed into fuel for certain industrial uses.
- Use as raw material: it can be used in oil refining and petrochemical industries.
- Reuse: re-refined oil can be used again as a lubricant in engines and other machines as long as it meets the corresponding standards.
The EPA notes that re-refined oil must meet the same refining standards, composition, and performance as new oil in order to be used in vehicles and machinery.
What are the benefits of recycling used oil?
The EPA highlights that recycling motor oil offers environmental benefits and helps reduce the consumption of natural resources.
Among the main benefits observed:
- Pollution prevention: it prevents used oil from reaching soil, rivers, and other water sources.
- Resource use: it allows a material that still retains useful properties to be recovered.
- Energy savings: producing a re-refined lubricant base requires less energy than obtaining it directly from crude oil.
- Reduction in oil consumption: one gallon of used motor oil yields approximately 2.5 quarts of lubricating oil, the same amount obtained from 42 gallons of crude oil.
What do they recommend avoiding?
The EPA warns about the dangers of handling or improperly disposing of used oil and urges avoiding:
- Throwing oil on the ground or into drains because it can contaminate water sources.
- Discarding it with household trash instead of delivering it to an appropriate management system.
- Causing spills during collection, storage, or transport.
- Abandoning used oil filters without draining them or properly managing their waste.
These warnings are based on the fact that oil is insoluble in water and can adhere to different surfaces.