Automobiles are undeniably an indispensable fact of today’s life. Automotive oil recycling involves recycling of used oil to get oil that can be reused. This recycling is the appropriate way of disposing of used automotive oil and preventing damage to the environment.Different waste oils like lubrication oils from automotive, lubrication oils from combustion engines and gearboxes etc can be recycled.
What are the advantages of recycling of automotive oils?
The advantages of recycling automotive oils are as follows
- You need less energy to refine used oil. But in the case ofcrude oil,a large amount of energy is needed. Therefore, this is a good way of saving valuable energy. This method also helps in conservation of crude oil.
- Recycling of automotive oil is the correct way of disposingof the used oil. You thereby avoid inappropriate disposal of the used oil which often leads to contamination of water. Recycling of used oil thus helps in protecting the environment.
- The recycled oil can be easily used as fuel oil and also ashydraulic oil.
- Plastics and many other petrochemical-based products can be made from the used oil.
Problems with recycled motor oil
The viscosity of the recycled oil may not be upto the mark. At times the recycled oil may not even match with the grade rating of the vehicle. In case synthetic oil is needed for the vehicle then recycled oil should be avoided as it may damage the engine of the vehicle.One must keep in mind that recycled oil is not suitable for diesel or performance engines. So, before you opt for recycled oil,be sure to check if it is suitable for your car’s engine.
How can you recycle used motor oil at home?
The most convenient way to recycle motor oil is let someone else recycle it for you. In recycling of motor oil, one needs to remove the water,dirt,impurities,heavy metals etc from the used oil.There are refineries which recycle used motor oil. The process used in refineries is complex and needs sophisticated equipment.You can give the used oil in small commercial recycling units. However, there are ways by which you can easily recycle the used motor oil at home. There are three ways of recycling used automotive oil.
- Refining of the oil which involves removal of the sediments and unwanted substances and is a composite process which involves many steps
- Reconditioning of the oil which will increase the life of the oil and needs a commercial filtration machine
- Reuse and reprocessing which involves removal of water and particulate matter from the oil. This can be done with a simple DIY method.
The steps for the DIY method are as follows
- Take a plastic can and make a hole at the bottom such that oil can flow through it. Take a cardboard tube and fix one end of the tube in thick filter paper with the help of a rubber plug. Your filter is ready. Now place another can at the other end of the tube to collect the recycled oil.
- Now pour the used oil into the top container. Do this slowly and be careful that you don’t spill the oil. The filtration process may take a long time. In the case of large quantities of oil, you may need to change the filter paper role. You can make use of toilet paper for the filtration.
Take the used oil to an industrial unit or reprocess it yourself. Handling used motor oil is essential.Every car owner should take proper measures to increase fuel efficiency.
