# Used oil
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 7, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518 "2003-08-07T04:07:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@joemill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemill)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/1 "2003-08-07T04:07:38Z")
What do they do with oil that they “recycle” at garages? Are they able filter it and reuse it as lubricating oil? Or do they use it for something else, like fueling toxic waste incinerators? How much of this stuff do they collect in a year?
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### Author:  [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/2 "2003-08-07T04:14:46Z")
I know some places burn the waste oil as heat for the shop.
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### Author:  [@stamcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stamcon)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/3 "2003-08-07T04:24:09Z")
Joe, the oil can be filtered and reused as lubricating oil or used as fuel for furnaces/electrical power plants. Check this link for some info.
[http://www.recycleoil.org/Usedoilflow.htm](http://www.recycleoil.org/Usedoilflow.htm)
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### Author:  [@culov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/culov)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/4 "2003-08-07T08:04:02Z")
So shouldnt THEY be paying us to have the oil?
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### Author:  [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/5 "2003-08-07T13:18:34Z")
Just to clarify:
The shops themselves don’t do anything with it but store it until a collection truck comes to pick it up. They usually have to pay (and its not cheap) for this service.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/6 "2003-08-07T14:46:17Z")
Years ago the oil recyclers paid the shops a nominal amount for used oil, then for a while picked it up for free (neither paying nor billing for it), then they started charging the shops to pick it up. Probably a combination of market forces and increasing government regulation of this type of material accounts for this change.
The recycler I use tests the oil for presence of chlorine compounds on the spot before sucking it into the truck. Too much chlorine and they won’t take it ( [http://www.recyclehawaii.org/ChlorineFacts.html](http://www.recyclehawaii.org/ChlorineFacts.html) , [http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/Oil/Facts/dont\_mix.htm](http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/Oil/Facts/dont_mix.htm) ). Unfortunately, some oil additives have chlorine compounds, which is not a good thing ( [http://www.oil-tech.com/aftrmrkt.htm](http://www.oil-tech.com/aftrmrkt.htm) ).
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### Author:  [@qfo\_jb2013](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qfo_jb2013)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/8 "2017-05-31T19:03:03Z")
Reminds me of the specialized oil that lubricates turbines 3600 rpm in power plants, we had a machine that was online ‘centrifuge’ which spun accumulated water and moisture out of the oil continually before it went back to the oil reservoir. The downside of course, the all-day chore of disassembly reassembly of the centrifuge to clean gunk etc.
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### Author:  [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/10 "2017-05-31T19:20:34Z")
[1880 Train](http://1880train.com/).
If you look at the FAQ, it says they use recycled motor oil to run the locomotives.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/11 "2017-05-31T19:48:12Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#):
>
> [1880 Train](http://1880train.com/).
>
> If you look at the FAQ, it says they use recycled motor oil to run the locomotives.
On the show “Prepper’s” (those who believe the end of the world is coming and must prepare for it) it showed one guy who was proud of his truck that once diesel was hard to find (and gasoline long gone), he could simply drain the motor oil of abandoned vehicles and use it for fuel.
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/12 "2017-05-31T20:12:32Z")
> [@kanicbird](#):
>
> On the show “Prepper’s” (those who believe the end of the world is coming and must prepare for it) it showed one guy who was proud of his truck that once diesel was hard to find (and gasoline long gone), he could simply drain the motor oil of abandoned vehicles and use it for fuel.
First-level thinking: If fuel is hard to find, and by fuel I mean whatever the dominant way of powering vehicles happens to be, there will be social ramifications, and I don’t mean people driving fast in the desert and menacing former refineries.
He can imagine the end of the world, but he can’t imagine the end of the liberal social order which allows individuals to own property and exist outside of gangs or dictatorial states. If they said they were prepping for the next Katrina or something, I’d be able to take them seriously, but, no, for them it’s the end of the world or nothing. As if a basement full of MREs and ammunition would let them stand against a society that isn’t just going to let them keep stuff.
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### Author:  [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/13 "2017-05-31T20:48:56Z")
> [@Derleth](#):
>
> First-level thinking: If fuel is hard to find, and by fuel I mean whatever the dominant way of powering vehicles happens to be, there will be social ramifications, and I don’t mean people driving fast in the desert and menacing former refineries.
>
> He can imagine the end of the world, but he can’t imagine the end of the liberal social order which allows individuals to own property and exist outside of gangs or dictatorial states. If they said they were prepping for the next Katrina or something, I’d be able to take them seriously, but, no, for them it’s the end of the world or nothing. As if a basement full of MREs and ammunition would let them stand against a society that isn’t just going to let them keep stuff.
Even worse first-level thinking: If society collapses, how do I maintain my current state of existence that includes the need for a drivable vehicle.
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### Author:  [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/14 "2017-05-31T22:06:40Z")
I’ve seen “pre owned” oil being sold at Walmart. It was to be used in your car, apparently it was stained and bottled. Had a bunch of “green” buzz words on the label.
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### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2017, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/15 "2017-06-01T14:24:56Z")
> [@Berkut](#):
>
> … some places burn the waste oil as heat for the shop.
This is common where I live (central PA).
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/16 "2017-06-01T16:11:11Z")
> [@August\_West](#):
>
> Even worse first-level thinking: If society collapses, how do I maintain my current state of existence that includes the need for a drivable vehicle.
The intelligence of this people must not be overestimated, one showed how they could filter their urine using charcoal for drinking water (demonstrating by making his wife drink it), be ready to live off the grid with solar panels (and no batteries or inverters), and guns guns and more guns. The combined IQ of all these people added together must approach the genius range :rolleyes: But again it seems possible to run a vehicle off this stuff - maybe :dubious:
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### Author:  [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-oil/193518/17 "2017-06-01T16:59:10Z")
> [@kanicbird](#):
>
> But again it seems possible to run a vehicle off this stuff - maybe :dubious:
it would have to be a diesel car/truck already set up to burn something like straight vegetable oil (SVO.) Running SVO usually requires you start the vehicle on normal diesel fuel, then use a heating loop from the engine’s cooling system to preheat the veg. oil before you switch over. Room temperature base oil is too viscous to atomize properly and will be difficult to get to ignite.
also, motor oil isn’t really meant to be burned in the combustion chamber, and could foul things up in short order.