What is done with used motor oil?
by 
Canis-Major
ANSWERS: 9
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Much of it is wasted, some simply poured out into our environment, but it does not have to be that way.There is a growing market for used oil. Once oil has been used, it can be collected, recycled, and used over and over again. An estimated 380 million gallons of used oil are recycled each year. Recycled used oil can sometimes be used again for the same job or can take on a completely different task. For example, used motor oil can be re-refined and sold at the store as motor oil or processed for furnace fuel oil. Consider that re-refining used oil takes only about one-third the energy of refining crude oil to lubricant quality. It takes 42 gallons of crude oil, but only one gallon of used oil, to produce 2 ½ quarts of new, high-quality lubricating oil. Many of the major auto parts chains in the US will take your used oil from you at no charge and see that it gets reused in a proper fashion.
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Many auto parts stores will accept your used motor oil providing you don't contaminate with something else such as gasoline, brake fluid or transmission fluid. There are a variety of uses for used crankcase oil one of which is to refine it and resell it as new motor oil. Be careful though. I once bought oil of this nature recycled by Chevron. Within a thousand miles of running on this recycled oil, more than 50 percent seemed to just evaporate or burn up or something, I'm not sure which. Later, I heard a program on television that Chevron was refining used oil and adding sea water to it to make it clear. Possibly, the sea water in this mix evaporated and I was left with some oil residue. Now, I only used new motor oil, never recycled.
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For reuse as a lubricant, the used motor oil is put through a series of heavy duty filters. The oil is then sold as products such as Quaker Maid, hardly a high quality product. Other use of the oil is that it is mixed with other hydrocarbons of high BTU content to make fuel oil. The fuel oil can be burned in a furnace or boiler to generate heat or burned in a engine, such as a ship or tugboat, to generate power.
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I work for a GM dealership and I know that we sell our used oil to a recycling company who comes out and empties our tank at least twice a month, We also do the same with our used antifreeze. Some companies have waste oil heaters and they use their waste oil to heat with.
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Good question. If properly disposed of, it can be cleaned and recycled. Otherwise, it pollutes the ground and seeps into the ground water.
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In Britain this is the company that does recycling of oil. http://www.ossgroupltd.com/services.php?id=27
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There is an "oil disposal" charge when you get your old changed so I imagine that they dispose of it in a very legal way as not to break any environmental laws.
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who buys used engine oil?
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It can be recycled and cleaned.It is also a good wooden fence preservative when mixed with creosote.
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