Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Motor Oil 
Name: rob8940
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
When motor oil is collected for recycling, what do they do or make from the oil?


Replies:
I used to own a car and change my own oil. Sometimes you have to ask quite a few service stations if they take waste-oil for recycling. Oil recycling is part of my city's comprehensive recycling plan, so there are several public waste oil collection sites around the city (Madison, Wisconsin). The oil is purified and resold as motor oil, either 100% recycled or blended with fresh oil. I used to buy 100% recycled oil for my car, although it is more expensive than ordinary oil when you buy it from a retailer. You might try writing to a company called "Seventh Generation" in Colchester, Vermont zip code 05446-1672 for more information. That is where I used to buy my recycled oil.

Don Libby

Update -- January 2005
Not much of used oil is refined and used again. A little over half is burned as fuel.

Bob Erck


Click here to return to the Environmental Science

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory