Solutions / Waste Oil Reclamation Front-End Purification Process
Lubricants & Reclamation
Waste Oil Reclamation Front-End Purification Process
Waste Oil Environmental Reclamation
Key outcomes
- Improve resource recovery rate: effectively improve waste oil reclamation rate, turning waste into treasure
- Protect downstream equipment: reduce coking and wear in subsequent distillation and hydrogenation units
- 30m³/h continuous treatment: achieves approximately 30m³/h online processing capacity, meeting industrial-scale demands
Case Study
Stage 1 · Customer Problem
The customer is a professional enterprise located in the Southwest region engaged in industrial waste oil environmental treatment and reclamation. With the expansion of regional industrial scale, the plant undertakes the task of treating waste lubricants generated by machining, automobile manufacturing, and other industries.
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Complex Contaminant Composition
Waste oil contains metal dust, wear particles, oxidized resins, and gums (sludge) from long-term high-temperature operation. Directly entering the reclamation process causes frequent blockage of centrifuges or distillation towers.
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Downstream Consumable Loss
Insufficient pre-filtration precision allows fine particles to enter chemical catalytic or precision filtration stages, causing catalyst poisoning or filter media failure, driving costs up.
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Environmental Discharge Pressure
Environmental process requirements mandate reduced-volume treatment. Traditional methods generate sludge with high oil content, resulting in high disposal costs.
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High-Viscosity Operation Challenge
Lubricant viscosity varies greatly with temperature and waste oil has poor flowability, requiring filtration equipment to maintain 30m³/h flow rate with pressure resistance and self-cleaning properties.
Stage 2 · Oil Analysis · NEW
| Metric | Before (Raw Waste Oil) | After (Pre-Purified) | Improvement |
|---|
| Particulate Matter (mg/L) | ~2,500 | ~150 | 94% reduction |
| Heavy Metals (ppm) | ~120 | ~35 | 71% reduction |
| Gum/Resin Content (wt%) | ~4.5 | ~1.2 | 73% reduction |
| Water Content (ppm) | ~8,000 | ~500 | 94% reduction |
| TAN (mg KOH/g) | ~3.5 | ~2.8 | 20% reduction (physical only) |
TAN reduction is partial as front-end physical purification targets particulates and water; full acid neutralization requires downstream chemical treatment.
Stage 3 · Solution
A 30m³/h waste oil dedicated purification unit was custom-designed for this environmental project, featuring multi-stage solid-phase separation, sludge volume reduction, and anti-corrosion construction.
Model
30m³/h Waste Oil Purification Unit
Treatment Capacity
30 m³/h continuous
Filtration Precision
10–25 μm (multi-stage)
Contact Material
316L Stainless Steel
Regeneration
Gas-pulse regeneration (brief 5-15 min safety pause)
Flow Control
Automatic pressure compensation
Safety Systems
Differential pressure alarm + auto gas-pulse regeneration
Sludge Classification
HW08 hazardous waste (compliant disposal)
The reinforced multi-stage interception architecture handles metal debris and hard particles under high fouling loads. The system maintains a constant 30m³/h treatment flow rate even during media viscosity fluctuations, with automatic gas-pulse regeneration for continuous operation.
Stage 4 · Results
30 m³/h
Continuous Capacity
Extended
Distillation Cycle
Compliant
Environmental Standards
| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|---|
| Particulate Matter (mg/L) | 2,500 | 150 | 94% reduction |
| Heavy Metals (ppm) | 120 | 35 | 71% reduction |
| Gum/Resin Content (wt%) | 4.5 | 1.2 | 73% reduction |
| Water Content (ppm) | 8,000 | 500 | 94% reduction |
| Distillation Tower Maintenance | Frequent blockage | Extended cycle | Downtime reduced |
The 30m³/h purification unit became the core of the customer's pre-treatment line, effectively handling challenging industrial lubricants and providing the clean baseline required for the reclamation refining process. Front-end physical purification significantly improved the initial quality of reclaimed lubricant, and the resource recovery rate improved. The maintenance cycle of subsequent distillation towers was effectively extended, and the process met environmental compliance requirements.
Stage 5 · Lessons Learned · NEW
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Physical Pre-Treatment Criticality
Front-end physical purification removes 94% of particulates before downstream chemical processes, preventing catalyst poisoning and precision filter media failure that would drive operating costs up.
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Acidic Waste Oil Corrosion Risk
Waste oil TAN of 2.0–5.0 mg KOH/g requires 316L stainless steel contact parts to withstand acidic properties and chemical additives over long-term continuous operation.
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Sludge Classification Compliance
Concentrated sludge must be classified as HW08 hazardous waste and disposed through compliant channels, turning an environmental liability into managed waste with reduced disposal costs.
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Customer feedback
In waste oil recovery, every additional micron of contamination removed in the early stage saves significant expenses later. This 30m³/h system has become the core equipment of our pre-treatment line. It can handle relatively challenging industrial lubricants, providing the clean baseline our reclamation refining process requires. This is a win-win for our business and the environment.
Lubricants & Reclamation
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