As we approach Earth Day 2009, more and more companies are coming out with
“green” products.  Some of these products are “green” in name only, but others actually do provide a benefit to the environment like Safety-Kleen’s recycled motor oil.

The motto of environmentalists is “reduce, reuse, recycle”.  According to Consumer Reports the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends recycling motor oil as the best way of disposing of it.  Used motor oil can be recycled into lubricants for cars or heating oil for industrial burners, kilns, and some small heaters.

Used motor oil is an environmental hazard and can contaminate soil and ground water if proper disposal methods aren’t used. The disposal and recycling of used oil is monitored by the EPA.  The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) established the EPA’s authority to monitor and and regulate what happens to used motor oil. An added benefit of oil recycling is that the oil recycling process uses 50 to 85 percent less energy than refining crude oil.

Safety-Kleen has developed a line of recycled or “re-refined” motor oils under the brand name of EcoPower.  Safety-Kleen collects used motor oil from “thousands of car dealerships, automotive retailers and quick lube facilities across North America”.

After collecting the oil, Safety-Kleen re-refines the used oil by removing the dirt and contaminants.  The refining process for both virgin crude oil and used oil is the same.  Both go through three basic process, dehydration, vacuum distillation and hydro treating.

Both recycled oil and virgin crude oil have to meet the same stringent standards for use in vehicles.  That standards are set by the American Petroleum Institute (API),  or the International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC).  Most vehicle manufacturers specify using oil that meets or exceeds the standards set by either API or ILSAC.

According to Safety-Kleen:

Petroleum base stocks never lose their lubricity. They become dirty from engine deposits and additives are depleted over time which causes the need for oil changes.

Since oil never loses its basic lubricity, theoretically, it can be recycled innumerable times cutting down drastically on the amount of new crude oil that is required to keep our cars on the road.

The quality of both “new” motor oil and “re-refined” motor oil is exactly the same.  Both oils hold up for an equal amount of time and affect the performance of motor vehicles using either type of oil is the same.

EcoPower can be found at AutoZone and Firestone stores in most areas.  A comparison of the price of EcoPower on line and other popular brands offered at AutoZone is as follows:

EcoPower                               5W-30                           $4.58/qt

Valvoline                                5W-30                           $3.89/qt

Pennzoil                                 5W-30                           $3.89/qt

Exxon                                    5W-30                           $2.99/qt

EcoPower is not listed in AutoZone’s database yet but if it is the same price at AutoZone as it is online from Safety-Kleen, it will be more expensive than most other standard motor oils.

Recycled oil like so many other recycled products costs a bit more than purchasing a non-recycled oil.  The environmental benefits of using Safety-Kleen oil are clearly superior to using motor oil from virgin crude.  Manufacturing of EcoPower “reduces” the amount of energy needed to produce it.  The product itself allows the “reuse” of what would otherwise be a toxic hazard by “recycling” it into motor oil that equals the quality and standards for “new” oil.

Reduce, reuse and recycle could easily be the motto of EcoPower.

Related:

Entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 7:46 pm under Auto, Green Technology.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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