ahlok2002
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cleaning engine used oil..
hello.
We have the problems when we want to dispose the engine used oil by burning in the boiler because the used oil contaminated with heavy metals like
lead, arsenic, zinc, iron….etc.
So is’t possible we remove the heavy metals by treating them with acid (neutralization) and separate the heavy metal from the oil before burn the
oil in the boiler.
Ok now. Can anyone enlighten me on which acid is “universal” to remove the metal by forming the salts…or combination of acids…
adding the coagulant suck as EDTA...or use the electrocoagulantion method is less efficient in oil ( non polar).
Or any idea on how to remove the heavy metals from the oil…thanks for help….
[Edited on 12-9-2005 by ahlok2002]
Learning is not state of being; is a process, is not a destination; is a direction
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12AX7
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Seems to me it would be hard to get acid in there since it's immiscible.
Maybe detergents can be added (some oils already have - most motor oils do), so that's a help at least, but it might hydrolyze with the acid.
And then you have to break down the emulsion to get the salts back out!
...You could always distill the oil off...  
Tim
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neutrino
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What form are the metals in? Soluble salt? Oxide? Element?
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12AX7
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Most likely colloidial metal particles, hence the dark color.
Tim
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bio2
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This problem is normally solved by ash and effluent treatment.
Heavy metal recovery units are common at power plants that burn oil like Bunker C. Most
likely used motor oil would need neutralization of the acidity to prevent boiler/burner damage.
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ahlok2002
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how about using chelating agents?
can they work..i think the problem will be filtering out from the oil after adding the chelating agent to the used oil.
a little feed back pls.
thanks
Learning is not state of being; is a process, is not a destination; is a direction
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prole
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Bioremediation of hydrocarbons
This may not be of any use to most folks, but this is a viable possibility for ridding oneself of waste hydrocarbons. The method involves saturating
a suitable growing medium with hydrocarbons, such as used motor oil, kerosene, diesel, etc., and inoculating the mass with a suitable mushroom species
(Pleurotus spp. have proven worthy). The advancing mycelium converts the hydrocarbons to carbohydrates and consumes them, producing large
fruitbodies, while any heavy metals remaining are taken up and concentrated in the mushroom fruitbodies themselves. Virtually no trace of
contamination remains in the growing medium after several weeks. Incidentally, this method also works for many of our favourite hazardous wastes,
like nerve agents, many solvents, raw sewage, industrial byproducts... The proper term is mycoremediation. I refer you to www.fungi.com for more info. Click on mycotechnology.
However, one is left with contaminated mushrooms, the contaminants of which cannot be decomposed, but perhaps can be precipitated out of a mushroom
slurry. In any case, one is left with far less contaminated material than what one began with. When I get my sterile lab up and running, I know
exactly what I'll be doing with my used motor oil...
http://fungi.com/mycotech/index.html
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tumadre
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I have a question about the basic structure of motor oil, I am interested in distilling a large amount of oil and reusing it.
Some initial experimentation resulted in a clear oil, but some nasty compound made it through the distillation and that oil smelled like hell. I could
compare the smell to some (but not all) new transmission fluids.
Are most motor oils just c-c bonds with some c=c bonds or do the various different propertys of motor oil result primarly from other compounds, like
nitrogen or oxygen?
On removing the acid from the oil what can I use? I have no idea!
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12AX7
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I don't know but used motor oil definetly has a decidedly disgusting, choking, sulfurous odor to it.
Tim
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tumadre
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I discovered that Most of the bad smell is in a yellow (distillate, lack of proper term ?) oil that boils at approximatly 200C, it is relativly thick;
sulpher melts at 115C so elemental sulpher could be dissolved in the oil allthough that is impossible. could various antifreezes be in it, giving it a
yellow color? If you try to distill motor oil, do try not to use solder to connect ur piping together-I found out the hard way-boiling oil all over my
lawn.
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DrP
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I was under the impression that used engine oil was carcinogenic due to the fact that most of the molecular chains were all 'bashed up' and
'broken' into free radicals by both mechanical and temperature mechanisms. Is this correct?
Slightly off topic - I met someone a few years back who had a really simple idea for a device to clean up oil spills - I worked it into a design
for two devices but never built a prototype. One hand held device and a second large scale device for tanker ruptures. He made me sign non disclosure
agreements but I dont think he ever done anything with it.
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garage chemist
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There exists an industrial process for the recycling of used motor oil.
It consists in filtering through "Bleicherde" (some kind of filter substance, it is found in nature) which removes the small pieces of metal and other
solid particles.
Then conc. H2SO4 is added and the mix agitated, this removes oxygenated compounds that form by oxidation of the oil at the conditions in the motor.
Then the spent H2SO4 is separated and residual acidity removed by repeated washing with water.
There are some additional steps to this process, although those outlined above are the most important and clean the oil from most of the junk.
However, distillation is not employed, since this decomposes the oil leading to tars and other byproducts which are also extremely smelly.
The cleaned oil can only be used as an additive to fresh oil, since the quality of the recycled product can never reach the quality of new motor oil.
[Edited on 21-12-2005 by garage chemist]
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stricnine
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The only way you can distill lube oil without further decomposing it is by using a low pressure distillation tower.
There is a way to do that with glass apparatus, but I am not aware of the flash point of the components (there has been breakdown inside the engine),
hence "thou shalt be far away from the array": In other words, the whole thing could blast off!
Although the temperature IS lower due to the lower pressure, I am not aware of how the flash points get modified by the pressure. Taking into accouont
that there are many components together, I would still get some protection OR put myself at safe distance of the apparatus.
[Edited on 28-12-2005 by stricnine]
I am getting old. I used to push it aside with one hand... now I need both!
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12AX7
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Well...considering you're removing oxygen from the apparatus... LOL
It's notoriously difficult to ignite concentrated vapors, anyway. Equilibrium vapor pressure and explosive concentration range are far apart for most
(I might even be able to say all!) alkanes, in air.
Tim
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tumadre
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I am using a vacume pump and there is no oxygen released in the distilling
the flash point is significantly higher than boiling oil, and I am still confused on how to remove the acid
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Magpie
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Garage chemist has told you how it is done. If you don't know how to mix H2SO4 with oil and then remove it by washing with water then you should take
an organic chemistry course w/lab, or at least read up on it. Any organic lab manual should have a good description of washing an organic liquid.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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Endo
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I have seen some motor oils with octocrylene added as a thickening/viscosity increasing agent. (2-ethylhexyl 2-cyano-3, 3-diphenylacralate)
Endo
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