Our Chinese friends may be looking forward to welcoming the Year of the Snake. But in the lubricants industry, this surely is looking like the Year of the Rerefiner. Valvolines Thom Smith gave last months ICIS Pan-American Base Oils & Lubricants Conference some insights into his companys experience making and selling rerefined engine oils. Valvoline invented motor oil in 1866, Smith asserted, and in 2011 introduced NextGen, the first branded rerefined oil by a major marketer.
Three factors, Smith said, made NextGen possible: growing consumer acceptance of recycled products, improved rerefining technologies, and improved quality in the pool of used oil. Valvoline uses just 50 percent rerefined base oils in NextGen because of concerns about sufficient supply, he acknowledged, and also because top-tier engine oils need some API Group III base oil, which is not yet available from any rerefinery.
Since 1983, North America alone has seen Newalta (originally Mohawk), Evergreen, Safety-Kleen, Heartland, Universal and Heritage-Crystal Clean stream first Group I and now Group II rerefined base oils. This year will see production start up from FCC Environmental in Baltimore, NexLube in Tampa and UES in Peachtree City, Ga.
Valvoline expects the same quality, consistency and performance from its rerefined base oils as from virgin stocks, said Smith. Rerefiners can be as consistent as regular refiners, with consistent feedstock and catalyst maintenance.
We need to help new rerefiners establish specs, especially for quality of the used oil stream, quality monitoring and catalyst maintenance. Do everything you can to protect your catalyst.
Rerefined base oil quality will increase, volumes will grow and new technologies will be developed, Smith predicted. Group III rerefined oil will be available in the future.
Lisa Tocci, Gloria Steinberg Briskin and all our colleagues join me in wishing you a healthy and prosperous New Year!
Nancy J. DeMarco
nancy@LNGpublishing.com