by Michael Smith
New guidance is being developed on turning used lubricating oils into a cheaper alternative to virgin fossil fuels – and industry, apparently, is going to be asked for its views.
Oh my God! What, really? If the UK government continues this way it may just about turn into a democracy. Not that the views of those being asked will ever betaken note of when it comes to the bottom line.
The Environment Agency and the Waste & Resources Action Programme have launched a consultation in a bid to clarify guidance for industry on reusing the oil.
The consultation forms part of the Defra-funded Waste Protocols Project to encourage business resources to be used more efficiently.
Recovered fuel oil varies in quality and is currently classified as waste, meaning that businesses using it have to meet emissions standards set out in the Waste Incineration Directive.
The guidance, entitled “Quality Protocol for the Production and Use of Processed Fuel Oil from Waste Lubricating Oil” (oh, my, what a mouthful), sets out standards that processed lubricating oils must comply with to avoid being classed as waste.
Martin Brocklehurst, head of environment protection external programmes at the Environment Agency, said that they have worked with industry, government departments and the Energy Institute to develop this Quality Protocol and that compliance with the protocol should ensure the continued protection of the environment while clarifying the regulations for businesses that process waste lubricating oil.
Processed fuel oil users, he said further, will be given the confidence that the new product derived from waste materials conforms to agreed quality standards and that the agency is keen to hear the views of other stakeholders and hope to engage with a wide range of consultees.
While this is all fine and good, that is to say, asking for input from the users of such oils, how long will it take before we, in fact, are seeing proper recycling of such oils into clean lubrication oils.
For fuel we must get away from oils and oil based polluting fuels. Not only as regards to “greenhouse gases” and such like but simply for the fact that the constant pollution of the environment by use of mineral-based oils burned in the internal combustion engine and power stations is not sustainable, not that it ever has been. While there is a little problem with the burning of wood, as the only amount of carbon released is that which the trees have taken up in their lifetime, we must get away, as a nation and in general, from burning fossil fuels, especially oils.
We should recycle used oils back, wherever possible, into lubricants rather than burning them. Obviously, where it is not possible to recycle such oils for reuse as lubricants then using such oils in power plants and such is, probably, better than just disposing of them in one way or the other without having any benefit from it.
However, the fact remains, and not just because we may be running out of the liquid black gold, that we must get away from using oils for burning. Rather than spending lost of money on researching how we can continue to use oils and oil-based fuels – and not just mineral oil based – in the internal, which some people are also calling the infernal, combustion engine, we should be concentrating on alternatives to oil-based fuels, whether mineral oil or plant oil.
Food for thought, as long as it is not food grains that are used for the fuel either...
© M Smith (Veshengro), August 2008
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Industry to be asked for its views on oil reuse
