3 Tips for Handling Waste Oil in Your Industrial Facility
Industries and manufacturing plants produce a lot of waste oil on a weekly and monthly basis. From synthetic oil to engine oils, transmission fluid, metalworking fluids, hydraulic fluid and electrical insulating oils, these facilities rely on oils for their daily operations. After use, the oils become contaminated and this makes them unsuitable for further use.
Waste oil should be handled and disposed of correctly to avoid environmental pollution. If disposed of incorrectly, it contaminates soil and groundwater and endangers aquatic organisms and humans who rely on natural water bodies. Thus, facilities need to follow these three measures when handling waste oil:
Label Waste Oil Tanks and Containers
It's essential to avoid confusion that could lead to the improper disposal of waste oils in your facility. As such, all containers that store waste oil in preparation for collection or recycling should be appropriately labeled as waste oil. Besides ensuring proper disposal, labeling also makes sure that waste oil doesn't end up being used in equipment and machinery. If this happens, the contaminated oil can damage equipment parts, reduce efficiency and cost you downtime as you clean it out.
Keep Tanks in Excellent Condition
Tanks that collect waste oil should remain in excellent condition at all times. Inspect them regularly for leaks or physical damage. The occurrence of leaks leads to ground contamination by waste oil, and this is detrimental to the environment. Leaking tanks should be drained of the oil and repaired immediately.
Additionally, take care when transferring oil from the equipment to the tanks. Avoid leaks by exercising caution during the transfer process. Should leaks occur, clean up the oil immediately and dispose of the rugs and brooms appropriately. Cleaning supplies that come into contact with waste oil should not be disposed of together with other forms of waste.
Recycle Waste Oil
Finally, don't store waste oil in your facility without a long-term recycling plan. There are waste oil collection companies that collect the oil for recycling. Work with these companies if you don't have a recycling plan in place. However, you can recondition the oil on-site by removing the impurities to make it usable again. While reconditioning doesn't restore the quality of the oil, it extends its usable life.
Alternatively, you can re-refine the oil to remove impurities and restore it to its excellent state. Re-refining may require you to set up elaborate systems, but it can save you money spent on buying new oil after every clean-out cycle.
Unlike other forms of waste, oil can be recycled or reconditioned to promote sustainability. If you don't have a recycling system in place, contact a waste oil collection company so they can refine it for use in future industrial applications.
Reach out to companies like Wren Oil for more information.