Used motor oil is still a major pollutant of soil and water in the world. used motor oil contaminates soil, and may contaminate wells. USED MOTOR OIL FROM A SINGLE OIL CHANGE CAN RUIN A MILLION GALLONS OF FRESH WATER. Used motor oil is insoluble, persistent and can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals. It's slow to degrade. Used motor oil is a major source of oil contamination of waterways and can result in pollution of drinking water sources.Recycled used motor oil can be re-refined into new oil, processed into fuel oils and used as raw materials for the petroleum industry. Used Oil becomes unfit for further use because of accumulating contaminants and the loss of performance from oil additives. Waste motor oils are highly contaminated, viscous liquids that contain, in addition to solid contaminants, water, fuel, and products from the "aging" of hydrocarbons and decomposition of additives.Used motor oil is often contaminated with lead (from gasoline), magnesium, copper, zinc, PCB's and other heavy metals which are picked up from the engine. These heavy metals can contaminate our drinking water and cause health problems.
The main contaminants are:
WATER: Fuel burns to CO2 and H2O. When an engine is cold the water created can pass through to the lube oil.
FUEL: Unburnt petrol / diesel passes through to the lube oil during engine start-ups.
CARBON: Forms as a result of incomplete combustion when an engine is warming up and passes through to the lube oil.
DUST: Small particles pass into the engine through the air breather.
METALS: Due to normal engine component wear.
OXIDATION PRODUCTS: Additive chemicals at elevated temperatures in the presence of oxygen can oxidize forming corrosive acids.
Recycled (Refined) Oil:Refined base oil is the end product of a long process involving used oils. These oils are first cleansed of their contaminants such as dirt, water, fuel, and used additives, through Recycling Machine(LYE). LYE will remove any remaining chemicals. This process is not similar to what traditional oil refineries do to recycle used motor oil (Acid wash) .Refined Oil Good As Virgin: Test after test has shown that an refined oil is of equal or better quality than an oil made from a virgin base stock.Used oil can be refined over and over with no compromise in the quality of the lubricant.
BASE OIL:The main component of Lube Oil. It does not ‘wear out', but simply becomes dirty.
DEPLETED ADDITIVES: The additives in the lube oil lose their performance characteristics.