What to do with used machine oil?

Motor oil protects the internal combustion engine by collecting oxidation products, metal particles, resinous compounds and other contaminants.

Replacement is carried out every 5-10 thousand kilometers of the car, so the urgent problem is where to put the engine oil from the car and how it can be used.

Home craftsmen know many “old-fashioned” options for where to dispose of used, drained oil from the engine. Some of this heritage is really useful, but it’s better to immediately forget about some methods.

Get to know the different ways to use used oil, consider their disadvantages, and take note of the hazardous properties of the waste.

Feasibility of recycling

Discharge of waste into the ground, reservoir or sewer is detrimental to the environment, human and animal health.
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Therefore, you need to look for alternative uses or take it to recycling collection points.

After the end of its service life, motor oil is unsuitable for use as engine protection, but it can become an assistant and find a “second life” in everyday life.

Waste petroleum products have excellent anti-corrosion properties, they burn well and can be used as a lubricant.

Recycling business

It is possible to set up your own production for processing waste oil into diesel fuel. Investors with average incomes can afford this, since equipment for processing used oil costs several million rubles, and the raw materials are very easy to obtain, and there is constant access to it. Used oil collection is carried out in any city.

Such organizations receive used oils for a small price (about 5 - 10 rubles per liter of liquid), process it, and the resulting raw materials are sold at a much higher price to other enterprises, as material for their products.

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Recycling of used oil as a business is currently poorly developed, but it is very profitable, because the number of oil processing enterprises will grow.

It is important to remember that you can only work with waste of hazard classes 1-4 if you have the appropriate license.

It is issued subject to several conditions:

If the enterprise has a special vehicle for transporting waste liquids.
If you have equipment for working with waste raw materials.
If there are workers who have been trained and have acquired the skills and knowledge to work with waste.

You can obtain a license after submitting the necessary documents to the territorial department of Rosprirodnadzor.

Delivery of waste for processing

Many drivers are interested in where to dispose of used oil. A productive way is also to submit your work. This traditional question is not problematic. Paid reception centers are available not only in large cities, but also in many other localities. If the driver, say, has never done this, does not know the address, then by entering the appropriate Internet request, the searcher will receive from the search engine the nearest settlements where it will be more convenient to dispose of used oil. A survey of experienced motorists who probably know the location of such collection points will also work well. By the way, if a driver has accumulated a considerable amount of work that he does not need over the years, he can order special equipment to be sent to his home from companies that collect it. Often, neighboring drivers cooperate to achieve this. It is noteworthy that in a number of developed countries, completion of work is strongly encouraged. So, not only do they pay well for it, but they also sell new oil at a good discount.

Lubricate metal parts

One of the most common ways to use used engine oil. Considering that even a used product retains its lubricating properties, it can be used to treat threaded connections, chains and other friction surfaces that require regular lubrication. You haven’t forgotten how your father or grandfather, when asked to lubricate a bicycle chain, always brought an old canister of waste oil?

Chain lubrication

But still, used oil is not suitable for lubricating every device. Nothing bad will happen if you use it to process a keyhole, awnings on the doors of outbuildings, a vice mechanism and other tools.

Drilling is not suitable for lubricating a chainsaw chain or fine work on drill joints. For these purposes, fresh and high-quality mineral oil is usually used.

How can you use work-off?

In order to decide to reuse used engine oil on the farm, it will not be superfluous to know about the obvious unsafety of each method.

Impregnation of wood and hardening of metal

Do not rush to part with the waste or put it into the furnace if you have wooden outbuildings or a fence located away from open-air living quarters. Over many years of life, pests penetrate the natural material, damage it, and as a result, the tree turns into dust.

A negative scenario can be prevented by treating the material with waste oil. In addition to protection from bark beetles, sanding protects wooden objects from moisture, mold, mildew and sun .

An effective method appeared during the times of total shortage of the last century and has not lost its relevance over decades of practice.

It is dangerous to treat a residential building made of wood with such a composition. The least of the troubles is an unbearable smell that does not disappear for a long time. A more serious problem is that petroleum products are very toxic and dangerous to the health of people and pets.

The third reason is that a structure covered with a layer of flammable oil is extremely unreliable from a fire safety point of view ; one spark is enough to ignite.

The petroleum product can be used to treat wooden holders of shovels, hoes, and rakes. This composition is also suitable for strengthening metal elements. It is not necessary to be a blacksmith. And you don’t need a forge to harden metal. For a small part, a gas burner is enough.

Heating

With the high price of natural gas, many are looking for alternative heating options.
Using waste as fuel is a good idea for those who grow crops in a greenhouse or maintain a farm.

The most common way is to use solid fuel boilers. Even damp firewood, if watered with waste, flares up in a couple of minutes.

In farm greenhouses, heat guns are installed that run on a mixture of diesel fuel and any waste oil.

Smoke from burning petroleum products is very dangerous for people living nearby. The high toxicity of the waste does not allow it to be burned in or near residential premises.

If waste is burned in a boiler, a larger volume of toxic resins settles on its walls , and mainly carbon dioxide is released outside. If you use fuel away from people, the smoke will not harm your health.

Cleaning and intended use

Purified used oil can be reused for its intended purpose. It is often reused in low- and medium-boost internal combustion engines, as well as in hydraulic equipment.

The main and mandatory stage of mechanical cleaning is settling. The principle is the natural sedimentation of impurities and water in a suspended state, where the key effect is determined by gravity. The higher the particle size and specific gravity and the lower the oil viscosity, the higher the rate of particle sedimentation.

Metal particles, resinous substances and coke are more susceptible to precipitation. The mining must sit for several days until sediment settles. The oil is then carefully drained and passed through a filter. Standing up often does not lead to the desired result.

Even with a long process, most impurities remain suspended - especially in oils with detergents and oils with fine contaminants.

To get rid of oxidation products, a chemical method is used - exposure to coagulating substances. The most commonly used are sodium phosphate, zinc chloride, liquid glass, and starch solution.

Treatment of thresholds and car cavities

Even used motor oil has a use to protect your vehicle. Only not the engine, but metal parts from corrosion. Processing is used to process closed body cavities, sills, and wings. The method is suitable for both ferrous and non-ferrous metals , extending their service life by 5 years.

Treated surfaces become a fire hazard. In addition, the toxic material is harmful to health.

Lubrication of metal elements

Even the used product retains its lubricating properties. Therefore, it is used to treat chains, threaded connections and other friction surfaces that require regular lubrication.
However, the waste is not suitable for lubricating every device or fixture. For example, working off can be safely used to lubricate door hinges, vice mechanisms, keyholes (not in residential premises), and awnings on the doors of outbuildings.

It is strictly not recommended to use oil drained from the internal combustion engine to lubricate a chainsaw chain or do fine work on the joints of a drill. The reason is that used oil contains a lot of clots and small particles of metal shavings.

The oil channels of the tool are likely to become clogged, and it will be very difficult to clean them . High-quality mineral oil is usually used for this purpose.

Boar bait

Hunters use casting to lure wild boars. Animals hear the smell of petroleum products that is attractive to them and flock to it to clean their fur of parasites.

For disks

Many beginners use used oil to put the tire on the rim. The main driving motive is obvious savings. But the disadvantages of the method, according to knowledgeable people, completely cover the advantages.

Over time, the oil layer dries and hardens, turning almost into stone . It is very difficult to remove rubber from such a disc without damaging it. In addition, this “lubricant” takes an extremely long time to dry - operating the car becomes quite a risky endeavor.

Processing equipment

Specialized equipment for recycling used motor oil may vary depending on the operating method used. For small businesses, mini-units used for cracking are most often used. Their advantage is their compactness, affordable price and ease of installation.

Larger oil refineries may employ complex chemical processing equipment. However, it is important to remember that such installations require strict adherence to all operating rules and regular technical monitoring. They must operate at a certain temperature, and their maintenance requires much more personnel.

Options for using used oils without reprocessing

During times of shortage, Soviet drivers actively used old lubricants in everyday life. This is still possible, the main thing is to monitor fire safety in the garage or other room where a hazardous composition that must be disposed of is stored.

Options for using used engine oil include:

its use as an anti-corrosion agent;
processing of wooden structures;
combustion as heating oil.

Each of the listed methods is used without harming the environment. However, when reusing the oil, safety precautions must be observed.

Coating metal from rust

Used engine oil has anti-corrosion properties. Therefore, it can be used on the farm for treating metal surfaces that need to be protected from rust. Experienced drivers use the following coating composition:

water pipes;
the bottom and arches of the car.

This lubricant does not provide a 100% guarantee of protection against rust. However, used oil is given to the driver free of charge, so it can replace anti-corrosion compounds that need to be purchased.

Wood processing

If you want to protect wooden buildings in your country house from rotting, old lubricants can help with this. When applied to the surface, machine oil forms a film that prevents water from reaching vulnerable beams and boards. It is better to apply the composition in late spring or summer, when it dries quickly under the sun.

As heating oil

Waste lubricants are suitable for heating a traditional Russian stove. They process firewood for better combustion and greater heat. This is done like this:

take firewood prepared for kindling;
fill them with used engine oil and leave for 2-3 days;
Place the prepared firewood in a dry and safe place.

This fuel can only be used for stoves with good draft. Otherwise, residents of the house risk being poisoned by harmful fumes.

Impregnate wood

Do not rush to throw away waste or use it as fuel if you own a wooden house or at least have utensils (benches, tables, fence) made from natural material. Over the years of life, pests begin to penetrate the tree, as a result of which it turns into entrails. This scenario can be prevented by treating the wood with a chemical such as waste oil.

In addition to protection from pests, the oil used guarantees protection of the wooden object from moisture, fungus and direct sunlight. However, if you decide to treat a residential building with such a product, then be prepared that at first the room will smell unpleasant. So it is best to carry out the work the day before departure, for example, to the country or on vacation at sea. Also protect the house from fire - one match and it will burst into flames like a haystack.

Why you can't drain engine oil

Thoughtless disposal of used motor oil causes enormous harm to the environment. If you pour it on the ground, it:

It will significantly weaken its ability to “give birth”, feed plants with water and other useful substances,
Through underground water flows, such oil will inevitably end up in one of the nearest water veins, from which, it is possible, someone draws drinking or industrial water and simply poisons it.

There are other serious environmental consequences of thoughtless frontal pouring of mining directly onto the ground or into water, as is often observed in domestic practice. It would be much more economical to sell the used oil, which will be discussed later, and get money for it or, after pouring it into a reliable container, use it for your own household purposes.

Can I throw it away?

Many car enthusiasts simply do not know where to use the waste, without thinking at all about the consequences for nature; they can throw it away and pour it directly onto the soil.

Used oil - be it motor oil, transmission oil or something else - is not just a liquid that has lost its beneficial properties.

Used petroleum products belong to the 3rd class of environmental hazard - it will take nature at least 10 years to recover from damage .

The dangerous properties of petroleum products are toxicity and fire hazard due to the ability to maintain combustion, self-ignition and spontaneous combustion.

In addition, petroleum products are considered very harmful chemical pollutants.

If about 20 g of petroleum products get into 10 kg of soil, it becomes unsuitable for plant life and soil microflora.

1 liter of waste completely deprives 40 thousand liters of water of oxygen. A spill of 1 ton of oil products pollutes 12 km2 of the surface of a water body.

Eating fish from a contaminated reservoir is dangerous to human health: hydrocarbons accumulate in the tissues of fish, reaching a toxic limit , then are transmitted along the food chain, forming carcinogenic formations in human cells.

Soil contamination with waste oil changes all its fertile and ecological functions, displaces air, and disrupts the circulation of water and nutrients. As a result, plant growth slows down and then their death occurs.

The combination of hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide inherent in petroleum products is dangerous for the human body. Men are susceptible to lung and larynx cancer, and women are susceptible to colon and breast cancer.

The cardiovascular system, liver, endocrine glands, central nervous system suffer , hematopoietic processes are disrupted - the concentration of hemoglobin and red blood cells decreases. Acute poisoning is possible, sometimes fatal.

Used oil - danger or benefit

The work falls into the second and third hazard classes. This suggests that raw materials require specialized storage, transportation and disposal. At the Basel Conference, regulations for working with waste oils were determined, which guide all world powers.

Used oil can harm not only the environment, but also human health. Raw materials of this type contain not only petroleum products, but also toxic resins, polyolefins, chemical impurities and other hazardous substances.

Proper disposal or reuse can protect the environment from danger. Unfortunately, in Russia only 15-20% of raw materials are properly disposed of, and another 20% are recycled. The remaining 60% is simply discharged into the nearest bodies of water or simply into the sewer. Thus, environmental pollution is growing progressively.

Despite the dangers, used oil can be used in industry and everyday life.
One of the promising directions is to use raw materials as liquid fuel. This saves electricity, gas and other heating resources. As a result, used oil can provide benefits without harming the environment or human health. Ways to use used oil

Use for hardening or blackening of metal

If you are interested in blacksmithing, you have probably heard that metal will become stronger if it is cooled in an oil composition, for example, mining. And although this composition is not suitable for delicate work, you can still add strength to garden tools (shovels, rakes, hoes) or building materials that need increased strength. However, you don’t have to be a blacksmith or have a forge to harden metal. If the part is small, a gas burner will suffice.

Burnishing a knife in waste oil

Gunsmiths and hunting enthusiasts use finishing to return the barrels of smoothbore or rifled weapons to their original black color. This method of blackening is as close as possible to what is used in weapons factories. And although the procedure requires certain knowledge, experience and dexterity, the result can exceed all your expectations - the weapon will regain its original appearance and receive protection from corrosion.

Automotive oil disposal

The waste cannot be reused: it does not lubricate parts well due to the presence of sediment formed during its operation. It is dangerous to dump it anywhere because of its toxicity. The oil will take a long time to decompose, killing animals and ending up in drinking water and food.

The most correct solution is to hand over used fuel and lubricants to an organization specializing in their processing.

The waste is cleaned in the following way:

They are purified from sediment and impurities by settling and filtering or separation in a centrifuge.
It is evaporated and distilled, thereby removing unnecessary liquid.
pass waste through substances to get rid of impurities, reduce in volume using current, chemicals, low or high temperatures; add solvents and dry
Oil is purified chemically using acids and alkalis.
Filtered on special membranes.

As a result, new products are obtained from waste oil - base lubricating oils, from which new fuels and liquids for lubricating and cooling surfaces will be produced in the future. Also, it is imperative to dispose of bottles, cans and other containers in which the oil was transported and stored.

Experience of oil recycling in other countries

In the Russian Federation, only 20% of waste is recycled. EU countries have increased this figure to 50%.

For example, in European countries they collect:

Frying oil in all catering outlets and among the population. It is suitable to be processed into biodiesel fuel.
Fats after use on ships or in army kitchens. The generator will work just as well with them as if using new fuel.

We can often see oil stains under our neighbors' overnight parking spots, but we don't attach any importance to it.

European laws interpret this as a violation of environmental protection and punish it very strictly. The excuse that oil stains are on the asphalt and not on the ground is childish talk. The coming rain will move these harmful substances into the ground.

The burning of waste in the EU and the USA is strictly prohibited, for which criminal liability is provided.

Collecting used cooking oil from a cafe

Use as bait for wild boars when hunting

Professional hunters have been effectively using waste oil to attract wild boars in the forest for several decades. The smell of diesel fuel attracts animals, even if they are several kilometers from its source.

To build a bait, you can follow the instructions described below:

We dig a hole of about 20 liters in the hunting grounds.
Pour the waste into the hole, diluted with two liters of diesel fuel (10:1).
We hang any rope over the pit, and then attach a scarf soaked in solarium to it.

The wind will quickly spread the smell of diesel fuel across the land, so that within a couple of hours the wild boars will appear at the “bathhouse”. Seeing an oil puddle, the animal will not be able to resist bathing in it (the treatment will kill all the parasites on the boar’s body). So all that remains is to shoot the animal as it approaches the bait.

As you can see, there are many ways to use waste oil. Surely, you were able to find the one that suits you. If so, leave a comment below the article or share with readers your own recommendation for using old engine oil.

Direct use of mining

Whatever the condition of the oil, it is a petroleum product, the basic properties of which do not disappear. At a minimum, it is a flammable material.

Use as fuel

There are many industrial and home-made furnaces operating in mining. In principle, there is nothing new here: fuel oil boiler houses were invented more than a hundred years ago, and they operate successfully to this day.

Recycling of used oil is not required: it is the same fuel oil, only more liquid. It is enough to warm up the composition a little and feed it into the combustion zone with low pressure. It is on this principle that exhaust injectors work.

Of course, such a unit requires certain settings, at least for different densities of used motor oil. However, the minimum cost of fuel negates all the shortcomings of the technology.

Water-repellent impregnation

Any petroleum product does not interact with water. Accordingly, lubricants protect against corrosion and oxidation. Why not use these properties in wooden structures?

This is another option for where to dispose of used oil. The composition is used to impregnate railway sleepers, wooden foundations, piles, and power poles.

Of course, the environmental friendliness of this method is questionable. But if you carry out the work according to technology and do not apply impregnation uncontrollably, this does not contradict building codes and regulations.

Impregnation of wooden products with processing protects not only from moisture. A “dead” environment is created inside the tree, in which the bark beetle or putrefactive bacteria cannot settle. Here's an extra bonus for you.

The waste is also added to the tar, making it less viscous. Plus – reduction in product costs. The coating is applied to surfaces that need to be protected from the outside from moisture.

Important: The mixture of waste with tar is not used for impregnation, only for external treatment.

In addition, thinned tar is a commodity that is in demand among construction crews.

This tar is also used in the production of asphalt concrete mixtures for the construction of new roads.

Pour into sills and other car cavities

Used oil has another important function - protecting metal parts from corrosion. So why not use it to treat sills, fenders and other car cavities that are most often exposed to rust. All that is required is to lubricate the surface with a flammable liquid. Moreover, this method is suitable for processing both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Treating the part with used oil extends its service life by approximately 5 years. However, remember to follow safety precautions when carrying out the treatment, and also that lubricated metal can easily ignite even several weeks after applying the oil. If the layer is thick enough, the coating will not lose its anti-corrosion properties even when in contact with water (for example, during rain). That is why the thresholds are lubricated by working out first.

What to do with used oil?

Consumption of oil is necessary in the modern world. It is used in industrial enterprises, motor transport organizations and in everyday life.

Complex industry is equipped with specialized equipment for recycling raw materials. Or they recycle the work depending on their needs.

Small organizations must recycle waste. Due to the costs associated with this procedure, it is not profitable for them. Small companies try to sell used oil or use it for their own needs.

The same situation applies to the population. Recently, organizations have appeared that buy and sell used oil. This is an ideal option for selling unclaimed raw materials. Thus, financial profit is acquired and the environment is not polluted.

Unclaimed oil ends up in processing plants. The largest enterprises performing this type of activity:

Ryazan lubricants plant;
Perm Oil Plant;
Phosphochem plant in Tolyatti.

Where can I buy used oil?