India rerefiner IFP Petro Products announced last week that it has entered a partnership with Germany-based Avista Oil AG to expand its rerefining and other operations.
The announcement, in a May 26 news release, did not say whether the companies intend to increase capacity of IFP’s rerefinery in Ghaziabad, India, or if they will construct a new facility. The plant in Ghaziabad, which is part of the Delhi National Capital Region, currently has capacity to process 5,400 metric tons of waste lubricants.
Officials said the partnership will also expand and improve efficiency of IFP operations in used oil collection and distribution.
Avista Manager for Projects and Communications Lena Neumann said the partnership allows Avista to expand into India, which she described as an attractive rerefining market.
“India is a huge market with high used oil as well as base oil volumes,” she told Lube Report. “With the introduction of the Indian EPR System and the therewith rising sustainability awareness and its enforcement, a quite good foundation has been built. Moreover, the commercial and political environment is stable, and the market offers a lot of potential for the introduction of modern rerefining technology.”
Avista officials were familiar with IFP before negotiating their agreement, she added. “They have a long expertise and a shared vision and understanding,” Neumann said. “IFP has built up a good infrastructure, and they know the Indian market very well.”
She said that while it is a little too early to discuss specifics about what Avista technologies might be used by IFP Petro, “there are various technology options available.”
“We believe that this partnership will create significant value for both companies and contribute to the development of a circular economy for used oil in India,” Avista Oil AG CEO Marc Verfuerth said.
IFP describes itself as a process technology company with more than 40 years core experience in rerefining used lubricants and blending industrial and automotive lubricants.
IFP opened its Ghaziabad rerefinery in 1977 through a technical collaboration with the Indian Institute of Petroleum Dehradrun. The plant originally used an acid clay process but upgraded to a three-stage vacuum distillation process in 2004. The company’s services include collection of used oil, contract packaging and diagnostics testing of lubricants and fuel oil through its Dr. Lubes subsidiary.
Avista Oil AG has base oil rerefineries in Dollbergen, Germany, and in Peachtree City, Georgia, in the United States. Avista Green – a joint venture with United Kingdom-based used oil collector Slicker Recycling Ltd. – opened a rerefinery in Kalundborg, Denmark, in 2019, replacing a previous Avista rerefinery at that location that burned.