Re: Used Engine Oil Disposal - The correct ecological way A word of caution since we are discussing used engine oils. Body contact with used oil must be avoided as it is very toxic and contains cancer causing chemicals that unused oils don't. Not only for humans but used engine oils are very toxic for plants and animals too.
This link provides details about used engine oils and its link to cancer:- https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/fact-...sed-engine-oil
Used oil is surely toxic and harmful to the environment too, owing to the toxic chemicals it has as ingredients.These contaminants include lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, dioxins, benzene and polycyclic aromatics beside micro particles of iron/steel and aluminium. If used motor oil and the contaminants it contains are disposed of inappropriately and released into the environment, they can harm humans, plants and animals. However they do not contain any acids whatsoever as some believe it does and used oil is not corrosive.
From the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) link :- https://www.epa.gov/recycle/managing...cling-used-oil Quote:
If you one of the many people who change their own motor oil, you too need to know how to properly manage the used oil. After all, used oil from one oil change can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water — a years’ supply for 50 people! When handling used oil, be sure to take these key points into consideration:
Used motor oil is insoluble, persistent, and can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals.
It’s slow to degrade.
It sticks to everything from beach sand to bird feathers.
It’s a major source of oil contamination of waterways and can result in pollution of drinking water sources.
Are you a “Do-It Yourselfer” —do you change the oil in your car at home? On average, about four million people reuse motor oil as a lubricant for other equipment or take it to a recycling facility. If you plan to recycle your used oil, take care not to spill any when you collect it and place it in a leak-proof can or container.
Check with local automobile maintenance facilities, waste collectors, and government waste officials to see when and where you can drop off your used oil for recycling. Don’t forget to drain and recycle used oil filters as well—usually you can drop off the filters at the same collection centers where you deposit used oil.
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The EPA goes further to say that an appropriate way to overcome the problem of handling used engine oils is to recycle them using the proper procedures. The EPA also says that recycled used motor oil re-refined, performs as well as virgin oil and in some cases even outperforms the latter. Quote:
Recycling and reusing used motor oil is preferable to disposal and can provide great environmental benefits. Recycled used motor oil can be re-refined into new oil, processed into fuel oils, and used as raw materials for the petroleum industry.
So, how is used oil recycled? Note that the most preferred option, re-refined oil—must meet the same stringent refining, compounding, and performance standards as virgin oil for use in automotive, heavy-duty diesel, and other internal combustion engines, and hydraulic fluids and gear oils. Extensive laboratory testing and field studies conclude that re-refined oil is equivalent to virgin oil—it passes all prescribed tests and, in some situations, even outperforms virgin oil.
The same consumers and businesses that use regular oil also can use re-refined oil, since re-refining simply re-processes used oil into new, high-quality lubricating oil. Any vehicle maintenance facilities, automobile owners, and other machinery maintenance operations that use oil also can use re-refined oil. In some cases, fleet maintenance facilities that use large volumes of oil arrange to reuse the same oil that they send to be re-refined—a true closed recycling loop. |
An EPA poster:-
Used engine oil can also cause impairment of male reproductive parameters based on research as this link below says. Quote:
Conclusion
Hence, it can be said that there is a negative relation between used engine oil and male reproductive parameters. And it can be concluded that used engine oil should be prevented from leaking, spilling or improperly discarded as through medium it may enter storm water runoff and eventually affect the environmental health receiving water bodies. |
The link:- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4877787/
Last edited by anjan_c2007 : 15th July 2022 at 19:05.
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