Can industrial waste oil filtration turn into new oil?

Industrial waste oil can approach or partially restore the performance indicators of new oil through professional treatment, but strict conditions must be met to fully achieve the "new oil" state. The following is a key analysis:

Technical limits of waste oil regeneration

1. Recoverable indicators

| Performance parameters | Reachable levels after regeneration | Comparison with new oil standards (taking ISO VG 46 as an example) |

|--------------------|-----------------------|--------------------------------|

| Particle cleanliness | NAS 1638 Level 5 | NAS Level 5 (factory standard for new oil) |

| Moisture content | ≤10ppm | ≤10ppm (GB 11118) |

| Acid value | ≤0.05mg KOH/g | ≤0.03mg KOH/g |

| Breakdown voltage (insulating oil) | ≥60kV | ≥70kV (IEC 60296) |

2. Irreversible deterioration

- Additive loss: Antioxidants (such as T501), rust inhibitors, etc., cannot be 100% restored and need to be supplemented.

- Molecular structure changes: hydrocarbon cracking caused by long-term high temperature is irreversible (requires hydrogenation and refining for repair).

- Color/odor: It is difficult to completely restore to a colorless and transparent state.

Comparison of regeneration processes

| Technology | Treatment effect | Cost ($/ton) | Applicable oil products |

|-------------------|---------------------------------|-------------|-----------------------|

| Physical purification | Remove water and particles, restore basic performance | 50-100 | Mildly oxidized waste oil |

| Chemical regeneration | Reduce acid value, partially restore additives | 150-300 | Industrial oil containing acidic substances |

| Hydrorefining | Deeply repair molecular structure, close to new oil | 400-600 | High-end lubricating oil/transformer oil |

| Distillation-hydrogenation | Complete regeneration (requires crude oil grade treatment) | 800+ | Centralized treatment of waste oil refineries |

Industrial application cases

1. Transformer oil regeneration (Tongrun ZYD system)

- Process: vacuum dehydration + clay adsorption + precision filtration

- Result: Dielectric loss decreased from 5% to 0.5%, but antioxidants needed to be added by 30%.

2. Engine oil regeneration (Safety-Kleen, USA)

- Process: Thin film evaporation + hydrogenation treatment

- Result: Viscosity index recovered to 95% (new oil 100%), and a compound agent package needed to be added.

Essential differences from new oil

| Comparison items | Recycled oil | New oil |

|------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|

| Additive system | Need to be re-adjusted | Original precise formula |

| Life prediction | About 60-80% of new oil | 100% (standard cycle) |

| Warranty acceptance | Some manufacturers refuse warranty (such as GE gas turbines) | Full warranty coverage |

Economic and environmental performance

- Cost advantage: The price of recycled oil is 30-50% of new oil (such as hydraulic oil regeneration ￥2000/ton vs new oil ￥6000/ton).

- Carbon emission reduction: Each ton of recycled oil reduces 3 tons of CO₂ emissions (International Energy Agency data).

Authoritative conclusion

- ASTM D6074: Recycled oil can be used for non-critical equipment, but aviation, nuclear power, etc. require strict certification.

- EU REACH: Recycled oil is allowed, but it must be marked as "Re-refined".

Industrial waste oil can be functionally replaced by new oil through advanced processes, but it needs to be carefully evaluated when applied to key equipment. The following strategies are recommended:

- General machinery: Use recycled oil (such as hydraulic systems, gearboxes).

- High-precision equipment: Mix 30% recycled oil + 70% new oil.

- UHV/nuclear power: New oil must be used.

(Note: The specific selection needs to refer to the equipment manufacturer's recommendations and oil test reports)