US 8,299,001 B1 · Process for recovering used lubricating oils using clay and centrifugation

Abstract

A process for recovering used industrial and motor lubricating oils. In a first embodiment (for used industrial oils), the used lubricating oil is mixed with clay in a reactor. The mixture is preferably heated to between 105 and 200 degrees Celsius. The temperature should not be too great, to avoid “cracking” the oil (i.e., breaking molecular chains in the oil). After a certain period of time, the mixture is pumped through filters. Cakes of clay and contaminants remain in the filters, while the oil emerges without the contaminants. A second embodiment (for removing ash or soot, very fine carbon particles and other organic compounds from used motor oils) is the same as the first embodiment, except that before the mixture is passed through the filters, a centrifuge is used to remove most of the clay contaminated with soot, so that it will not block the filters.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A process for recovering used lubricating oil, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting used lubricating oil;
b) pre-filtering the used lubricating oil;
c) pre-treating the used lubricating oil with a flash type distillation, to take out substantially all water from the original used lubricating oil;
d) placing used lubricating oil and clay in an open container where they are put together in contact to form a mixture, at normal atmospheric pressure;
e) heating the mixture to a temperature of from 105 degrees Celsius to 200 degrees Celsius;
and
f) removing and separating the lubricating oil from waste products containing the clay and contaminants of the used lubricating oil, using a filter press system to separate the lubricating oil from the clay and contaminants, to form a clay cake that is discarded, obtaining oil essentially free from contaminants, without bringing substances other than clay in contact with the used lubricating oil.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Process for recovering used lubricating oils using clay and centrifugation

Life of this patent

Process for recovering used lubricating oils using clay and centrifugation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20