Reducing use of lubricating and hydraulic oils in engineering
Guidance on different methods for engineering businesses to reduce and manage lubricating and hydraulic oils.
Reduced use of lubricating and hydraulic oils enables engineering businesses to cut costs and avoid the need to dispose of these hazardous wastes. You can achieve this through procurement policies, staff training, monitoring and analysing systems and usage, and through improved processes and equipment.
Using one supplier for all oils helps minimise waste, simplifies stock control, makes rationalisation more effective and could lead to discounts for larger orders. Suppliers often offer larger buyers an on-site representative to manage the oil store, manage distribution and monitor usage.
If you do not use such a service, you need to assign responsibility for the oil stock control, distribution and monitoring to key members of your staff. Training may be necessary. You should establish procedures for using and handling different oils, condition monitoring and data analysis, and set targets to reduce use and waste.
You must store oil safely to avoid causing pollution. You may need to comply with the oil storage regulations.
Reducing hydraulic oils waste
Correctly storing and handling oils will avoid waste resulting from damage or contamination. You should clearly label all oil containers so staff can easily identify the oil they require. Waste oil should be labelled and stored separately.
You should respect use-by dates to ensure that the oil performs to its specification. Use devices for handling drums and transferring oil from larger to smaller containers to allow simple movements and to minimise costly spills. Containers should be clean and ideally used for only one type of oil.
Recording and monitoring plant performance and oil use is essential for reducing waste, analysing trends, changes in use and maintenance needs, and identifying problems. For example, analysing oil samples can indicate debris within an oil due to wear of machinery and components, eg bearings.
Reusing and recycling hydraulic oils
You can reuse or recycle waste oils or sell them to cement factories or incinerators as fuel. You need to arrange for decontamination of used oils either on site using small kits (basic filtration and water removal), or by a specialist business which offers a collection, laundering and return service. They normally use a process of filtration, dewatering and then replenishment of the additives, returning oil that is of equal quality to the original.
If you intend to reuse oils, you must reclaim them under low-grade controlled conditions to avoid any degradation of their lubricant quality. The recovery equipment should not come into contact with any oil you intend to dispose of. Make sure the pumps and containers for the oil are free of any contaminants to maintain the quality of the oil that is being reclaimed.
Mixed oils cannot be used for their original application. If you are reclaiming and reusing oil in the same plant item, you should keep it separately from other reclaimed, waste or virgin oils.
Where oil can be recovered but not used for its original application, you could reuse it as lower grade oil. However, it is important you ensure that this will not harm machinery or processes.
Oils often enter the factory drainage system but you should remove them before the water is discharged from the site. Belt skimmers remove oil from water. A number of businesses offer interceptor systems to separate oil and water in the drainage system.