Fact Sheet

John Engler, Governor ◆ Russell J. Harding, Director

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MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

Re-Refined Oil

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OFENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSISTANCE DIVISIONPO BOX 30457

LANSING MI 48909-7957

www.deq.state.mi.us

Environmental Assistance Center1-800-662-9278June 2000 • #9826

RECYCLEDPAPER

Used oil is among the most widely recycledproducts. If we begin the widespread use ofrecycled oil (re-refined) in our vehicles, we canslow down the reduction of all remaining oilreserves.

Annually the United States generates over abillion gallons of waste lubrication oil. Millionsof gallons of this used oil is collected andtransported to refineries. It is then re-refined into

clean, clear, reusable premium base oil.

WHAT IS RE-REFINED OIL?Re-refined base oil is the end product ofused oil that is first cleansed of its

contaminants, such as dirt, water, fuel, and usedadditives through vacuum distillation. The oil isalso hydrotreated to remove any remainingchemicals. This process is very similar to whattraditional oil refineries do to remove base oilfrom crude. Finally, the re-refined oil iscombined with a fresh additive package by theblender to bring it up to industry performancelevels. Because oil does not wear out, laboratorytests on the re-refined lubricant cannot determineany difference between the highly re-refined base

oil and virgin crude base oil.

Today’s problem of depleting our non-renewable resources can be addressed byconserving our resources, finding renewable alternatives, and reusing our currentresources.

WHY USE RE-REFINED OIL?Users enjoy the same quality andperformance as virgin oil products while

reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil.Users also help the environment by eliminatingwaste material and lessening the amount ofnonrenewable resources taken from theenvironment.

In addition, buying re-refined oil helps to “closethe loop” for used oil products. Closing the loopcreates increased demand for used oil andencourages consumers and businesses alike toproperly store and recycle their waste oil.Recycling oil is not only preferable to dumping itdown the drain, but it is also a much betterchoice than the most common use for used oil –

burning it for fuel.

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IS RE-REFINED OIL ASGOOD AS VIRGIN OIL?

YES! Re-refined oil is equivalent in everyrespect to oil produced directly from crude oil.

It must undergo the same comprehensive testingand meet the same quality standards as virginlubricants in order to receive certification by theAmerican Petroleum Institute (API).API-licensed re-refined oils must passthe same cold-start and pumpability,rust corrosion, engine wear, hightemperature viscosity, deposit, andphosphorus tests that virgin oils do. The APIcertification mark ensures that the re-refined oilhas met auto manufacturers’ specifications foroptimum engine performance. The API and theformer American Automobile ManufacturersAssociation (AAMA) have developed the EngineOil Licensing Certification System (EOLCS) toensure that all engine oils consistently meetperformance specifications.

WHY IS OIL QUALITYIMPORTANT?Motor oil is the lifeblood of your car’s

engine, protecting it from premature wearand keeping it clean. The quality of the oil youuse is critical to your car’s performance.Regardless of what brand of oil you use, look forthe API certification mark on the front of thenext bottle of motor oil you buy. You can thenbe sure that oil meets auto manufacturers’standards for car and light truck gasoline andmost gasoline/ethanol 85 engines.

WILL RE-REFINED OIL VOIDMY WARRANTY OR HURTMY ENGINE?

NO! Vehicle and engine manufacturers such asFord, GM, DaimerChrysler, and Mercedes Benzhave all gone on record to state that using API-certified re-refined oil does not affect warrantycoverage. The Magnusson-Moss Warranty Actalso states that manufacturers cannot voidwarranties if the re-refined oil meets themanufacturer recommendations. Mercedes Benz

has been using re-refined oil to fill new cars attheir factories for years.

API-certified re-refined oil is not only goodenough for your car, it’s even recommended.

WHO USES RE-REFINEDOIL?

Thousands of cars, trucks, and fleets arerunning on re-refined oil including Coca-

Cola, UPS, US Postal Service, Frito-Lay, CalTrans, federal government departmental fleets,Southern California Gas, the City of SanFrancisco, and every Mercedes Benz newpassenger vehicle. Re-refined oil is even beingused on the NASCAR circuit, and those peopleknow their engines.

DOES RE-REFINED OILCOST MORE THAN VIRGINOIL?

NO! The perception that re-refined oil ismore expensive is generally unfounded. Mostre-refined oil is actually comparably priced or alittle cheaper than virgin oil.

ISN’T THIS A RELATIVELYNEW PRODUCT?

It’s not new. It has been widely usedthroughout North America for years.

•The U.S. Post Office has been usingre-refined oil in their fleet of 73,000vehicles for nearly a decade.

•The state of Vermont has been successfullyusing it for approximately seven years.

•Snohomish County in Washington Statehas used re-refined oil since 1991 in all ofits 1,242 vehicles.

•The City of Chicago has purchasedre-refined oil exclusively since 1992, usingit for all vehicles including police and firevehicles.

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•The Toronto Transit Commission haspurchased only re-refined oil since 1989.800,000 gallons of re-refined oil are usedin all its buses each year. The Commissionfound that re-refined oil was pricedsignificantly lower than virgin oil.

HOW MANY TIMES CAN OILBE RE-REFINED?

It can be re-refined countless timeswithout compromising the quality of thelubricant because, according to industry expertsand manufacturers, oil doesn’t wear out. It justgets dirty, additives get used up, and chemicalsbreak down. Re-refining cleans up the oil andputs the additives back in.

The Two-Stage Process From UsedOil to Re-refined OilStage one: Used oil collection

Used oil is collected from your local oilrecycling centers, quick lubes, and automaintenance shops.

Stage two: RemanufacturingThe oil is taken to a re-refinery where thecontaminants and motor oil additives areremoved in a multi-step process.

• Step 1

Water, gasoline, and other light-boilingcomponents are “flashed out” in adehydration unit.

• Step 2

Diesel fuels and gas oils are stripped awayfrom the oil by vacuum distillation.

• Step 3

A thin-film evaporator extracts dirt,polymers, heavy metals, and othercontaminants from the base lube stock.

• Step 4

Hydrofinishing, using hydrogen to removesulfur and chlorine compounds, purifiesthe base stock.

• Step 5

The purified base lube stock is blendedwith a performance-improving additivepackage to produce high-quality re-refinedmotor oil that meets or exceeds autoengine warranty requirements and theAmerican Petroleum Institute’s motor oilspecifications.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORSUsed motor oil is, at times, contaminated withlead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, PCB’s, andhalogenated solvents. Dumping or spilling onegallon of used oil can pollute more than onemillions gallons of drinking water. Re-refiningused oil into a reusable product can preventdamage to land, air, water, and health.

Over 1.3 billion gallons of used oil are generatedeach year in the United States, and 85 percent ofthat oil is burned for energy recovery. Onceburned, used oil is destroyed and cannot be usedagain. Rather than using the oil once, re-refiningextends the life of a non-renewable resource.Even though 150 million gallons are re-refinedeach year, this capacity could easily be expandedas demand increases. The U.S. and many localgovernments, businesses, and universities havebegun adopting a closed-loop approach wherebythey buy a re-refined product and arrange fortheir used oil to be re-refined back intolubrication oil.

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Fact Sheet

LOCATING SOURCES OFRE-REFINED OILThese oils contain 100% re-refined oil in thebase stock and meet API and SAE performancespecifications.

• Safety Kleen America’s Choice(800) 525-5739

• Chevron ECO(800) 582-3835

• Evergreen Motor Oil(714) 757-7770

• Lyondell Enviroil(800) 447-4572

• Rosemead SOAR DLX(800) 794-8400

• Unocal Firebird(800) 527-5476

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will not discriminate against anyindividual or group on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, national origin, color, marital status,disability, or political beliefs. Questions or concerns should be directed to the MDEQ Office ofPersonnel Services, PO Box 30473, Lansing, MI 48909.

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