PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Most vehicles have oil filters that must be replaced regularly. Used oil filters consist of metal cover, paper filter and motor oil and are classified as hazardous waste and must be disposed of in accordance with the Council Directives 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles and 75/439/EC on waste oils. There are also increased demands and stricter legislative requirements for effective disposal methods and recovery of hazardous waste in Europe. Considering that both oil and metal are suitable for recovery, a method was developed to separate these two elements. In the EU, the estimated number of used oil filters is 250 million per year. The weight of these filters is approximately 250,000 tons, consisting of 60% metal, 30% oil and 10% paper. This means that every year in the EU alone 150 000 tons of metal, 75 000 tons of oil from used filters need to be disposed of.
OBJECTIVES
The REUSEOIL project aimed to demonstrate an innovative recovery technique for used oil filters with less environmental impact than current alternatives. This would contribute to the implementation of the Council Directives 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 75/439/EC on waste oils and 99/31/EC on landfills. The project aimed to optimise recovery and to minimise waste of natural resources by separating the metal and oil fractions from the used oil filters. This would generate cleaner recyclable metal and waste oil, while eliminating fluid nitrogen and emissions of oil vapour. The project was implemented in the following stages: 1. pre-installation procedures, 2. construction and installation of the recovery plant, 3. testing of the prototype, including meticulous evaluation of measurement tests to determine the results. Project results were made known to specific target groups – suppliers of oil filters, producers of motor vehicles and machines, hazardous waste management and treatment companies as well as local and national authorities, whose representatives are included in the project reference group. Subject to satisfactory results, the project technique was foreseen for adapted use in other industries such as recovery of used oil filters in the construction industry, for aircrafts and boats, and for power and hydraulic aggregates.
RESULTS
The project successfully achieved the expected results: - The pilot plant for the treatment of used oil filters is fully operational and works at the capacity of some 2 tons per hour. - The treatment facility includes a bunker (to receive used filters), grabber, conveyor belts, shredder, granulator, centrifuge, magnet as well as supplementary facilities to store the treated fractions (oil, metal and hazardous component). - The treatment of filters has resulted in a recovery rate (by weight) of 99.5% of metal fraction, 98% of oil fraction, the rest being mainly filter paper with low oil and metal content to be treated as hazardous waste. - The degree of cleanliness of the recovered metal and oil fractions is acceptable both for re-melting and regeneration. - The project also paid attention to the filter collection system, which is essential to the (improved) feasibility of the process. - The results are now being made more widely known and the beneficiary intends to further develop the process. For example, the beneficiary is considering extending the activity to its branches in Estonia and Latvia. This project has been selected as one of the 21 "Best" LIFE Environment projects in 2005-2006 The project successfully achieved the expected results: - The pilot plant for the treatment of used oil filters is fully operational and works at the capacity of some 2 tons per hour. - The treatment facility includes a bunker (to receive used filters), grabber, conveyor belts, shredder, granulator, centrifuge, magnet as well as supplementary facilities to store the treated fractions (oil, metal and hazardous component). - The treatment of filters has resulted in a recovery rate (by weight) of 99.5% of metal fraction, 98% of oil fraction, the rest being mainly filter paper with low oil and metal content to be treated as hazardous waste. - The degree of cleanliness of the recovered metal and oil fractions is acceptable both for re-melting and regeneration. - The project also paid attention to the filter collection system, which is essential to the (improved) feasibility of the process. - The results are now being made more widely known and the beneficiary intends to further develop the process. For example, the beneficiary is considering extending the activity to its branches in Estonia and Latvia. This project has been selected as one of the 21 "Best" LIFE Environment projects in 2005-2006
