Treatment of Waste Generator Oils by Using Various Methods

Abstract

In general, lubricating oils consist base oil and chemical additives, which are working to prolong the time of use, improve the performance of oil in severe conditions, and keep the machine clean. These oils lose ability to lubricate during use because of exposure to internal and external pollutants, which requires replacement oil and disposal of used oil, which is one of the dangerous pollutants to the environment. The current research aims to purify and re-refine used lubricating oil using different processing methods, which include (vacuum distillation, acid / bentonite, distillation / bentonite, and acid/distillation treatments).Physical properties were studied for the treated oils, which include viscosity at 40 ºC, specific gravity at 20 ºC, flash point, pour point, and ash content in accordance with the American Standard Test Materials. Also chemical properties of the treated oils were studied which includes the total acid number and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed that all treatment methods were worked to improve the physical properties of oils as compared with the used oils, but the best results were obtained using (acid/ bentonite) treatment method as compared with the specifications of the fresh oil. FTIR analysis of treated oils showed that different results in the removal of pollutants, which include carbon particles, water and organometallic compounds such as compounds of nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen, but it was found that (acid/ bentonite) treatment is the best method as compared with the spectrum of the fresh oil