by Tammy Williams
VehicleMD Staff Writer
Originally published in Summer 2010 Issue

Do you want to help save the planet? Do you recycle your newspapers, plastics and aluminum cans? Do you want to make sure your motor oil doesn’t contaminate our drinking supply after it leaves your engine?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then maybe it’s time for a “greener” oil change. A re-refined oil change is exactly the same as your current oil change; only it uses “greener” oil—re-refined oil. Re-refined oil can help you “go green” because it is actually made from existing motor oil.

“Re-refining used oil conserves natural non-renewable resources and has the potential to reduce dependence on foreign oil,” said Eric Zimmer, executive vice president of Sales and Marketing at Safety-Kleen Systems. “Re-refining is energy efficient and is an eco-friendly way to manage used oil.”

The re-refining process also keeps millions of gallons of oil from being disposed of improperly. For instance, the oil from one oil change (about a gallon) can contaminate one million gallons of drinking water. That’s a year’s supply of water for 50 people!

According to federal reports, oil that is not collected and re-refined accounts for more than 40 percent of the total oil pollution of our nation’s harbors and waterways.

The green shines through in other ways, too. Re-refining motor oil results in 99.5 percent fewer heavy metal emissions and 85 percent less greenhouse gases than if used motor oil were used as fuel. It also saves more than one million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, which is equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road every year.

Most of the motor oil found in engines today is made from crude petroleum that is carefully “refined” into base lubricating oil. Later in the manufacturing, process a combination of additives are added, giving motor oil the special properties that set it apart from other petroleum products like tar or gasoline. These additives, however, wear out over time, which is why you must change your oil at regular intervals. The base oil—what we call the oil that doesn’t have additives added to it yet—actually never wears out. It just becomes dirty as it works to do its lubricating job.

Re-refined oil is made from this “dirty” oil drained out of engines. When the oil is drained from your engine, your service center collects it in a used-oil tank. Then, a re-refining company collects the oil and takes it to the refinery. The used oil can be conventional, synthetic, high-mileage or any of the several other motor oil types found across the country; the type of oil doesn’t matter when it’s being re-refined.

At the refinery, the used oil goes through a process that cleans up the oil by removing the additives and contaminants. This makes it just as good as oil derived from virgin crude. In fact, re-refined oil may be even better because it takes 85 percent less energy to re-refine motor oil than to produce it from crude. Then, additives are added to the newly re-refined oil, making it ready to use in your engine once again.

The great thing is, since the petroleum molecules never wear out, this process can be repeated over and over again.

How do you know that re-refined motor oil is safe? The motor oil currently in your vehicle is certified by the American Petroleum Institute. This is the association that tests all the motor oils on the market to make sure they are safe to use in your car. You can tell that an oil is API-certified because it bears the “donut” symbol on the front of its package. If re-refined oil has been certified by API, you can rest assured it’s safe for your engine.

Also, major car and engine manufacturers have approved the use of re-refined oil. So, as long as the re-refined oil you choose meets the same standards called for in your owners manual, it will not void your warranty.

Not only is re-refined oil safe for your engine, but it is also great for the planet. With a simple change at your next oil change you can help decrease our dependence on foreign oil, feel confident your motor oil did not contaminate millions of gallons of water and help everyone live a little greener.