Distinguishing Between Virgin, Repurposed, and Rejuvenated Oils

Not all oils share the same origin, and contrary to prevailing assumptions, reprocessed or re-refined oils do not suffer from any inherent "dirtiness" or inferior quality when compared to pristine, virgin, or freshly manufactured oils. Moreover, many often conflate recycled, refurbished, and re-refined oils, misinterpreting them as identical commodities. Therefore, we will now elucidate the nuances among these various types of oil and their diverse applications.

Virgin Oil: The Pinnacle of Freshness

Oil derived from crude petroleum, having undergone the refining process, is categorized as virgin oil, making it the most prevalent oil type found in a wide array of lubricating products available in the market. Virgin oil is freshly refined, having never been previously utilized, and thus sets the gold standard for oil quality. Once it has been used in any capacity, it is reclassified as "used oil" and may undergo further refinement to become recycled or re-refined oil.

Reprocessed Oil: Filtered Used Oil for a New Purpose

Reprocessed oil is essentially used oil that has undergone a filtration process to eliminate particulate matter and insoluble impurities. While filtration successfully rids the oil of physical impurities in the form of particulate matter, it does not address chemical impurities or contaminants. Consequently, reprocessed oil can be reused as fuel or for lubrication in non-critical systems. Within this category, there exists reconditioned oil, which is created by blending recycled oil with essential additives to extend the oil's usability. Reconditioned oil is typically single-use and lacks the purity required for automotive use in cars or trucks. Commonly, recycled motor oil is repurposed as fuel for various heating applications such as boilers, space heaters, and industrial purposes like cement kilns or blast furnaces. Moreover, it can be distilled into diesel or marine fuel. Motor oil retains its lubricating properties and can be recycled repeatedly for diverse applications, making it environmentally friendly by maintaining lubricant products in circulation instead of being wasted through disposal or environmentally detrimental dumping in soil or waterways.

Rejuvenated Oil: The Purge of Soluble and Insoluble Impurities

In contrast to recycled oil, where only soluble impurities like heavy metals and dirt are eradicated, rejuvenated oil undergoes a rigorous process involving filtration, distillation, and dehydration to eliminate both soluble and insoluble contaminants. Chemical processing is employed to remove additives from rejuvenated oil, resulting in an un-additized base oil. This base oil is further distilled to eliminate residual water and additional impurities. A dehydration process eliminates remaining light fuel and ethylene glycol, and vacuum distillation removes the oil fraction suitable for reuse as lubricating oil. Subsequently, the oil is fractionated into various grades: light viscosity, low viscosity, and high viscosity for diverse applications. Rejuvenated base oils (RBBL) are then combined with additives to produce final products boasting superior detergent and anti-friction properties. To earn approval from the American Petroleum Institute (API), rejuvenated oil must meet the same base oil ratings as virgin oil. If its base oil ratings fall below the virgin standard, it will not receive API approval for public sale. Given that the re-refining process for waste oil mirrors that of crude oil's transformation into virgin oil, rejuvenated oil can attain an equivalent, if not superior, level of quality. Embracing rejuvenated oil is environmentally responsible and consumes considerably less energy than the production of virgin oil. Rejuvenated motor oils can undergo this process repeatedly, ensuring they remain in circulation instead of becoming waste products.