ATIEL & UEIL Joint Sustainability Committee
intervals and implementing effective oil condition monitoring programs, the operational lifespan of lubricants can be extended.
2. Preparing for Reuse
Although preparing for reuse is a key step in the waste management hierarchy, its application to lubricants is inherently limited due to the chemical and physical degradation they undergo during use. These changes cause lubricants to lose their essential lubricating properties, rendering simple cleaning or repairing recovery methods unsuitable for restoring them to their original purpose. Reconditioning processes, such as filtration, centrifugation and dehydration, which remove particles and moisture, can only be applied to specific types of lubricants—such as transformer oils—to extend their operational lifespan and delay waste generation.
3. Recycling – Regeneration of Waste Oils (covering Re- Refining)
Regeneration stands out as the most efficient and sustainable treatment method within the waste management hierarchy for lubricants. Lubricating oil molecules retain their fundamental properties and do not degrade; they merely become contaminated with process by-products, wear particles, dust, and oxidation products, while their additives deplete over time. This characteristic allows lubricating oils to be re-refined indefinitely, recovering the valuable base oil for the production of new lubricants. The regeneration process generally involves pre-treatment through heating and/or filtration, followed by advanced techniques such as vacuum distillation, hydrogen finishing, and solvent extraction. Modern regeneration technologies can produce high-quality base oils that meet Group I, Group II and Group III classifications under the American Petroleum Institute (API) standards.
4. Other Recovery When regeneration is not feasible, processing to produce secondary fuels recovering the energy content provides an alternative means of utilizing waste oils. Recovered fuels should meet certain specifications in heavy metals, halogens and sulfur concentration to ensure that emission limits are met. Use as secondary fuels is not in the interest of the lubricants industry and should be avoided as it represents a carbon leakage fromthe lubricants value chain.
5. Disposal
Disposal, including landfill or incineration without energy recovery, is the least favored option due to its environmental impact and should only be considered when all other options have been exhausted.
Table 1: waste hierarchy relevance for lubricants
3.3.2 10R Framework A complementary approach is provided by the 10R framework8
, which expands on the upon the
traditional 3Rs of waste management (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and WFD’s principles by promoting strategies to preserve material and product value. This strategic guide outlines ten hierarchical actions, from most effective to least preferred, Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse,
8 European Commission, CATEGORISATION SYSTEM FOR THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/sites/default/files/categorisation_system_for_the_ce.pdf? Version 11.06.2025 © ATIEL and UEIL Lubricants & Greases End of Life, Sustainable Best Practices Page 9 of 42
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