Life cycle assessment of waste strategies for used lubricating oil

Purpose The study aimed to evaluate the environmental impacts of used lubricating oil (ULO) recovery in the largest oil consumer country in Africa, Egypt. The main questions were: What are the impacts of the different waste management strategies for the recovery of used lubricating oil and which was...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The international journal of life cycle assessment 2017-08, Vol.22 (8), p.1232-1240
Main Authors: Hassanain, Eslam M., Yacout, Dalia M. M., Metwally, M. A., Hassouna, M. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidification
Carcinogens
Categories
Climate change
Depletion
Depressants
Earth and Environmental Science
Energy conservation
Environment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Economics
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental impact
Eutrophication
Firing
Fuels
Global warming
Land use
Lca of Waste Management Systems
Life cycle analysis
Life cycle assessment
Life cycle engineering
Life cycles
Lubricating oils
Lubrication
Oil and gas exploration
Oil recovery
Ozone
Ozone layer
Petroleum production
Radiation
Recycling
Rerefining
Solvents
Strategy
Toxic hazards
Viscosity
Waste management
Waste materials
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Summary:Purpose The study aimed to evaluate the environmental impacts of used lubricating oil (ULO) recovery in the largest oil consumer country in Africa, Egypt. The main questions were: What are the impacts of the different waste management strategies for the recovery of used lubricating oil and which waste management strategy is more eco-friendly? Methods Life cycle assessment (LCA) was employed to model the environmental impacts of the two waste management approaches for used lubricating oil recovery in Egypt: recycling by re-firing and recovery by co-firing. The model was applied to assess the impacts of one of the largest ULO recovery units in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the only operating unit in Egypt. The following impact categories were included: global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), carcinogens potential (CP), ecotoxicity potential (ETP), respiratory inorganic formation potential (RIFP), respiratory organic formation potential (ROFP), radiation potential (RP), ozone layer depletion (OLD), mineral depletion (MD), land use (LU) and fossil fuel depletion (FFD). Results and discussion Results indicated that recycling by re-refining strategy is more environment-friendly. De-asphalting, de-aromatization and de-waxing processes are the main processes that affect the environmental impacts of lubricating oil production in both strategies, due to the use of hazard materials and toxic solvents in these processes. Fuel gas and fuel oil used as a fuel in the refinery and power units are the main contributors affecting the environmental impacts in case of recycling by re-refining strategy. The highest impacts were detected on FFD, followed by RIFP, GWP, AP, EP, ETP and CP in both strategies; no impacts were detected on RP, OLD and MD. Conclusions It can be concluded that recycling by re-refining of ULO is the more eco-friendly approach. This strategy is more energy conservative, saves a diminishing fossil fuel resource and reduces burdens on the environment. ULO containing high percentages of additive remnants such as viscosity index improvers and pour point depressants which represents a valuable resource and its proper management should be given the most attention.
ISSN:0948-3349
1614-7502
DOI:10.1007/s11367-016-1255-x