BASE OILS
Re-refined group III base oils –
Revolutionising the future of used motor oil Tony Weatherill,
CEO & President, ReGen III
As the base oils world continues to evolve, the need for high-quality re-refined Group III/synthetic base oils is only accelerating. Driven by global vehicle fleet growth, OEM performance requirements and increasing environmental and sustainability expectations, high-quality re-refined Group III base oils are poised to play a vital role in the future of mobility.
The Group III trajectory
Demand for synthetic lubricants is on the rise. Quite simply, more passenger and commercial vehicles on the road means more synthetic motor oil. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association1
shows the global light duty vehicle
, in 2021, the EU witnessed a rise in demand for passenger cars which was a 24.5% increase from the previous year. In addition, BP’s 2024 Energy Outlook2
fleet is expected to expand from 1.5 billion vehicles in 2022 to approximately 2.0 billion vehicles in 2035, the growth for which is largely accounted for by internal combustion engine vehicles.
At the same time, governments are mandating lower vehicle emissions and OEMs are paving the way with their engine designs to use more Group III base oils in finished lubricant formulations. Group III-based finished lubricants offer superior engine protection properties and fuel efficiencies compared to Group I and Group II base oils.
These factors, coupled with more recent geopolitical concerns from governments on energy and supply chain security, and increasing mandates to use re-refined base oils in certain municipalities, are driving demand for sustainable re-refined Group III base oils. And, not surprisingly, OEMs are on board. According to Petro Naft3
, automotive and industrial
OEMs are increasingly endorsing re-refined base oils, expanding the range of warranties and performance validations.
The environmental case: A “wasted” opportunity The stark reality is that a substantial amount of used motor oil generated each year could be better used. Most of the oil is either burned or dumped whereas it could be recycled back into base oils.
For example, an estimated 2.4 billion gallons of motor and industrial lubricants are sold in the United States each year, generating 1.4 billion gallons of used oil. From this, only 300 million gallons are recycled back
1 Passenger car registrations: +24.4% four months into 2021; +218.6% in April - ACEA - European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association 2 Page 33:
https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/energy-outlook/bp-energy-outlook-2024.pdf Re-Refined Base Oils: The Circular Economy of Lubricant Production
3
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.191 FEBRUARY 2026
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