Recycled Fuel Oil June 2000

THE FIRST CONSENSUS STANDARD for industrial-grade reprocessed fuel oil, D 6448, Standard Specification for Industrial Burner Fuels from Used Lubricating Oils, “will simplify the process of procuring used oil fuel, which should reduce the barriers to this form of recycling,” says Dennis Brinkman, Ph.D., director of Chemical Development & Technology for Safety-Kleen Corp., Columbia, S.C. “The purpose of the specification is to provide a basis for self-regulation on the used oil fuel market, which should increase the value of this fuel for those buying and selling specification fuel,” Brinkman explains. “The standard also serves as a reference as to which properties are important and provides detailed descriptions of the basis for including each parameter. Thus, it also serves as an education tool.”

The recycled fuel oil specification was completed in 1999 by a task force of ASTM Subcommittee D02.P on Recycled Petroleum Products, part of Committee D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants. The task force included fuel-oil recyclers, oil company representatives, fuel-oil-burning industrial equipment manufacturers, and representatives of government and related industries. Brinkman co-chaired the group with Barbara Parry, Mohawk Lubricants, North Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Brinkman describes user-advantages of new specification D 6448: “The primary beneficiaries on the seller side will be the used oil recyclers, who will now have a consensus specification on which to base their sale. If they meet the specification, then they have clear justification to market their product as an acceptable fuel within the parameters of the scope of this document. Similarly, the users, such as those with large industrial boilers, should feel confident that fuel produced to meet this specification will not be detrimental to their boilers and would be viable substitutes for virgin fuel.”

Development of a similar specification for commercial fuels is under way in Subcommittee D02.P. “This first specification [D 6448] was specifically focused on industrial burner fuels (large, high BTU hardware),” he says. “We are now working on a parallel specification for what are called commercial fuels, which means they are used in smaller boilers, which might be more sensitive to the presence of contaminants.”

For further technical information, contact Dennis Brinkman, Ph.D., director of Chemical Development and Technology for Safety-Kleen Corp., Columbia, SC (773/825-7850); or Barbara Parry, Mohawk Lubricants, North Vancouver, British Columbia (130 Forester St., North Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7H2M9 (604/924-2703).

D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants meets June 25-30 in Seattle, Wash. For meeting or membership information, contact manager David Bradley, ASTM (610/832-9681). //