Ecological and energetic assessment of re-refining waste oils to base oils: Substitution of primarily produced base oils including semi-synthetic and synthetic compounds

25/09/2018

The regeneration of waste oil for the recovery of base oils leads to significant resource preservation and relief from environmental burdens, concludes an updated study performed by ifeu on behalf of GEIR – the Re-refining Industry Section of UEIL.

October 2018

The 2018 study on “Ecological and energetic assessment of re-refining waste oils to base oils – Substitution of primarily produced base oils including semi-synthetic and synthetic compounds” aims to provide an update of the outdated reference 2005 considering the most recent process data as well as the change in terms of competition (reference). It underlines the results of 2005 and enhances the previous conclusions, stating that an advanced regeneration technology shall be the favoured way to keep waste oil as long as possible as high-graded material within the circular economy. This Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) supports the higher ranking of regeneration versus treatment to fuel oil according to the waste hierarchy required by EU policies.

This updated study was first released in June 2017. A critical review was undertaken, on the basis of which the study has been restructured to allow for an easier reading and understanding. It addresses European policymakers and stakeholders and shall provide a basis for an international discussion and a robust base of knowledge to assist decision making.

Corrigendum: On page 24 in Table 8 and on page 31 in Table 9 of the study report, the unit megajoules (MJ) was corrected in GJ (gigajoules) compared to the version published on 25 August 2018 and uploaded again on 24 April 2020.
The correction has no influence on the results of the study.

The summary of the study is available here.

If you wish to download a full copy of the study please use the following request form >