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Abstract
Petroleum is an essential natural resource used as the source of energy and raw material for almost all industries. It is also a non-renewable resource and not easily accessible in most cases. Today, as the global petroleum reserves are becoming increasingly scarce due to the rapid industrialization, the price of petroleum and products used petroleum as base materials will inevitably escalate and negatively impact on our economy. Moreover, the environmental impacts associated with petroleum exploration have increasingly become critical issues of global concern. In order to conserve petroleum resource and reduce petroleum drilling, the regeneration of petroleum-based materials for beneficial reuse and the utilization of renewable resources as base materials to substitute petroleum are two necessary actions toward a sustainable earth.
Lubricants, either mineral-based or synthetic made, are the products derived from petroleum and developed through tribological research are essential elements for modern industries to perform not only for lubrication of moving parts in machines, engines, and vehicles; but also for many other functions, such as cooling, noise and vibration reduction, cleaning, corrosion protection, and power transfer.
However, lubricants require change after long service because the various impurities generated from the operation may degrade the efficiency of lubricants and significantly contaminate lubricant. Each year over two billion gallons of used lubricants are generated around the world and expected to generate more due to worldwide increased demand in lubricants.
Many studies have confirmed that used petroleum-based lubricants collected from oil-change are slow in degradation and highly toxic to human health, fauna, and flora. Because the disposal of used lubricants is becoming a global concern, it is important to study the potential impacts of used lubricants on human health, animals, plants, and the environment in order to raise public awareness to proper handling in order to prevent them being released to the environment.
On the other hand, used lubricant also contains a significant amount of heating value. Hydrocarbon compounds in used lubricants can be regenerated into either lubricant base materials or an energy source. The regeneration of used lubricants has enormous benefits, including minimizing hazards, reducing waste, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, and creating an energy source as the energy shortage is becoming a global problem.
