A modest government-subsidized used oil rerefinery opened last week in Uralsk, in northwestern Kazakhstan. The processing facilitys primary aim is to decrease the amount of waste oil dumped into the regions local landfills, Arktyr, the facility operator, told Lube Report.
State statistical data have shown that the region produces around 850 tons of waste oil annually, said Vladimir Sarichev, Arktyrs representative. Northwestern Kazakhstan is primarily an agricultural production area.
The $352,000 rerefining facility can produce around 750 t/y of API Group IIbase oil, according to Sarichev. Depending on the purity level, the base oil can be used for making diesel engine oils for agricultural machinery. The rerefining facility, equipped with a mini blending unit, expects soon to be able to certify its lubricants’ quality.
We can use additives to make good quality motor oil. Anyhow, we dont plan to compete with such lubricants producers as Shell or Lukoil, Sarichev noted. The only reasons for opening the facility are preserving the environment and returning value-added products back into the supply chain.
Arktyrs analyses have shown that larger capacity rerefineries are not cost effective. Kazakhstan is a vast country, and there would be higher costs for collecting feed stocks. On the contrary, every region should have its own waste oil collecting and rerefining system, Sarichev said.
The Uralsk facility also has an automobile tire recycling unit which can produce around 1,500 tons of rubber annually. The waste oil rerefining and old tire recycling facility is operated by 12 workers.