As everybody knows..to make a good soup, it has to be stirred more than once so have just taken delivery of the latest flak jacket and crash helmet…many took issue with putting used solvents in used motor oil. Well I did a very small amount of research and here are some things for you all to chew on if that can be done without wild emotional reactions.
I sent an email to a refinery and asked as follows:
—–Original Message—–
From: The Stringes [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 2:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: rerefined oil contaminationWhat effect does solvents such as mineral spirits or lacqour thinner or other solvents that contaminate the oil have on the rerefining process?thanks,george stringeThat was the answer received back. Also here are a few sites that will give some education ito the refining processes. They are easy reading.Interestingly the OSHA site has this paragraph:Solvent Dewaxing. Solvent dewaxing is used to remove wax from either distillate or residual basestocks at any stage in the refining process. There are several processes in use for solvent dewaxing, but all have the same general steps, which are: (1) mixing the feedstock with a solvent, (2) precipitating the wax from the mixture by chilling, and (3) recovering the solvent from the wax and dewaxed oil for recycling by distillation and steam stripping. Usually two solvents are used: toluene, which dissolves the oil and maintains fluidity at low temperatures, and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), which dissolves little wax at low temperatures and acts as a wax precipitating agent. Other solvents that are sometimes used include benzene, methyl isobutyl ketone, propane, petroleum naphtha, ethylene dichloride, methylene chloride, and sulfur dioxide. In addition, there is a catalytic process used as an alternate to solvent dewaxing.Anybody recognize MEK, toluene, benzene, naptha etc?Where do most of our solvents come from??From the searching I have done, it appears that the testing at the refinery for contaminates in used oil is essentially looking for antifreeze and chlorinated compounds.Those light ends in the refining process that don’t get separated into saleable products are redirected back to the heat source for the refining process.So what does all this mean?? Means to me that I am putting my mineral spirits in the used oil I take to the parts store…;-)stage left and duck….
Replies
A friend used to dilute his old solvents, mostly clear only and strained through cheese cloth, with gasoline and put them into the gas tank of his late model car, a beater. He stopped doing it when he read that this practice could damage the fuel system. Now he dilutes it and adds it to his neighbors gas tank at night.
When his neighbor brags about how good his gas mileage is my friend gets a funny look on his face.
Your... friend.
Mmm Hmmmm
; )
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
But he's getting Great gas mileage.