Waste oil is defined as any petroleum

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

-based or synthetic oil

Synthetic oil

Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made . Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials...

 that, through use or handling, has become unsuitable for its original purpose due to the presence of impurities or loss of original properties.

Differentiating between "waste oil" and "used oil"

The U.S. EPA defines the term "used oil" using (approximately) the definition given above, while the term "waste oil" is used to mean used oil (or oil) that is inappropriately mixed with hazardous waste, or disposed of, rather than recycled (re-refined, burned for energy recovery, etc.). The general difference between the two terms is essentially whether the used oil is disposed of, or appropriately recycled.

Products used as waste oil

Some examples of types of products that after use, can be labeled as used oil are: hydraulic oil, transmission oil, brake fluids, motor oil

Motor oil

Motor oil or engine oil is an oil used for lubrication of various internal combustion engines. The main function is to lubricate moving parts; it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.Motor oils are derived from...

, crankcase

Crankcase

In an internal combustion engine of the reciprocating type, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder, which in a multicylinder engine are usually integrated into one or several cylinder blocks...

 oil, gear box oil, synthetic oil

Synthetic oil

Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made . Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials...

, and grades 1, 2, 3 and 4 fuel oil

Fuel oil

Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...

.

Disposal of waste oil

Waste oil can be disposed of in different ways, including sending the used oil off-site (some facilities are permitted to handle the used oil such as your local garages and local waste disposal facilities), burning used oil as a fuel (some used oil is not regulated by burner standards, but others that are off-specification used oil can only be burned in either industrial furnaces, certain boilers, and permitted hazardous waste incinerators), and marketing the used oil (claims are made that the used oil is to be burned for energy recovery, it is then shipped to a used oil burner who burns the used oil in an approved industrial furnace or boiler).
Oils that are off-specification typically contain: Arsenic 5 ppm, Cadmium 2 ppm, Chromium 10 ppm, Lead 100 ppm, Flash point

Flash point

The flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...

 100°F, minimum (i.e., fp must be greater than 100°F), Total Halogens >4,000 ppm

Storage and handling of waste oil

For on-site burning of used oil, the oil must be stored in tanks or containers, above or underground. The containers must be in good condition with no leaks, the tanks/containers must be labeled with the words “used oil”, and there must be a spill prevention plan (or a control and countermeasures plan).

Waste oil furnaces and boilers

Waste oil furnace is a type of furnace

Furnace

A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...

 used for heating purposes and is fueled by used oil that is free of hazardous contaminants, as described by the EPA

United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...

. Waste-oil-fueled boilers can be used for various industrial purposes as well as heating.

See also

• Vegetable oil used as fuel
  Vegetable oil used as fuel
  Vegetable oil is an alternative fuel for diesel engines and for heating oil burners. For engines designed to burn diesel fuel, the viscosity of vegetable oil must be lowered to allow for proper atomization of the fuel, otherwise incomplete combustion and carbon build up will ultimately damage the...
  
  
• HAZMAT
  Dangerous goods
  Dangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods...
  
  
• Oil depletion
  Oil depletion
  Oil depletion occurs in the second half of the production curve of an oil well, oil field, or the average of total world oil production. The Hubbert peak theory makes predictions of production rates based on prior discovery rates and anticipated production rates. Hubbert curves predict that the...
  
  
• Motor oil
  Motor oil
  Motor oil or engine oil is an oil used for lubrication of various internal combustion engines. The main function is to lubricate moving parts; it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.Motor oils are derived from...
  
  
• Hydraulic oil

External links

• The Regulation of Used Oil: Used Oil Burners. 2005. State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
• Used Oil. 2006. Environmental Virtual Campus.
• Used Oil and Used Oil Filter Management. 2000. Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
• Used Oil Regulations. 2003. Government of Nova Scotia.
• DMOZ Open Directory Project - Heat Generating Equipment
• NORA, An Association of Responsible Recyclers, formerly the National Oil Recyclers Association