Burning Recovered Motor Oil for Fuel vs Recycling It

In North Queensland and in most of Australia waste oil from households is collected in Waste oil containers located at landfills and transfer stations. The Australian Government ran a programme of providing containers for Local Governments. The oil is then collected by a commercial operation and reprocessed back into a number of commodities which includes furnace oil.

Web site: www.constructionsite.com.au/Companies/NQ-Resource-Recovery-Pty-Ltd-(NQRR )-comp2503.htm

Regards,
Ian Kuhl

Coordinator
Waste Services
P 07 4773 8346
F 07 4727 7801
W www.townsville.qld.gov.au
E mailto:[email protected]

Townsville City Council
103-141 Walker St
PO Box 1268
Townsville QLD 4810

Hello Steve -

Here in the Northeast many municipalities burn their waste oil and find it very useful in saving money. At our Department of Public Works we have burned waste oil for several years to heat the bay where our trucks, snowplows and buses are maintained. We are in the process of upgrading the heating system there to propane for the storage bays and a bit newer system for the waste oil. Also we are considering the installation of a larger, in-ground storage tank to keep the oil at a higher temperature. Currently it is stored outside in 55 gallon drums. If you would like more information I am glad to put you in touch with our guys at DPW.

Sincerely -
Barbara

Barbara M. DiBiase
Energy & Sustainability Coordinator
Town of Falmouth, Maine
O: (207) 699-5336
C: (207) 749-8453
[email protected]

The difference between burning used oil and recycling it is that it once it's burned can no longer be part of the value chain of the petroleum product.. In the hierarchy of management of resources, reuse and recycling are preferable alternatives to energy recovery. Oil can actually be recycled many times over, and there are a number of viable recycling companies that will take your used oil and pay you for it. Safety Kleen is one such company that I am familiar with and there are probably others in your state as well. They will pick up and recycle the oil, and it is a product that you can purchase now at various automotive suppliers - it's called Eco-Power. http://www.safety-kleen.com/products/OilProducts/Pages/EcoPower.aspx. Here is some contact information. http://www.cicil.net/detail/Safety_detail.html

If you still are considering burning the oil for energy recovery, I would contact your state agency for permitting requirements on using used oil. Below are a couple of links I found to your state's EPA.

http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/waste-mgmt/factsheets/used-oil.html

http://www.epa.state.il.us/small-business/used-oil/

Best,
Chantal

Chantal H. Fryer,
Manager
Recycling Market Development
S.C. Dept. of Commerce
1201 Main Street, Suite 1600
Columbia, SC 29201
803-737-0477
(phone) 803-806-3427
(fax) [email protected]

Hi Marta,

It would probably not be relevant in Illinois, but in South America the rural people do not discard waste oil. They mix it with diesel fuel to get home-made creosote which they use to treat wood, especially the parts of wooden fence posts that are buried in the ground. It protects effectively against termites, fungi, etc.

Cheers,
Steve

The concern about waste oil is that it is likely contaminated with toxic substances. Potential contaminants include heavy metals. There are likely regulations where you live that would prohibit the burning of waste oil.

Linda Bily
Canada