The
first motor oil made from totally ecological re-refined mineral
oil
The companies FL IBERIA, from the Magneti Marelli group,
INFINEUM, world leader in research and development of additives
for the formulation of motor and industrial oil, and CATOR
(Catalana de Tractament d’Olis Residuals S.A.), have
developed the first motor oil 100% formulated with re-refined
mineral base oil that meets the latest quality requirements
in Europe (ACEA-98) and North America (API). This important
achievement, called project ECOROIL has the fundamental
aim of proving that it is possible to recover oil from used
motor oil, re-refine it, and use it again for the same commercial
use as oils obtained from first refining used for making
motor oil. These new oils, apart from respecting the environment,
offer the same quality as any other existing lubricant on
the international market.
Through the process of re-refining, CATOR totally eliminates
all toxicologically and environmentally harmful products
present in used oil - PCB’s, PCT’s, PNA’s
or PCA’s, chloride compounds, heavy metals.... - as
well as those substances not recommended for a lubricant.
This process allows us to obtain lubricating mineral bases
with properties comparable to first refining oils.
The research project ECOROIL, propelled by FL IBERIA, INFINEUM
and CATOR, result of more than 5,000 hours of normalized
engine testing, has begun during a period in which Spain
is consuming more than 450,000 tons of lubricating oil a
year, of which approximately half are used in the automobile
industry. These amounts generate around 225,000 tons of
used oil, of which only 130,000 are collected, and of which
only 23,000 tons are re-refined annually, the rest going
to diverse destinations.
The new ecological oils - for heavy and light diesel vehicles,
mineral and semi-synthetic for petrol - are also the first
to be awarded the "Garantía de Calidad Ambiental"
(Guarantee of Environmental Quality) in their category for
lubricants, from the Generalitat de Catalunya, and that
also have the official approval of the main motor manufacturers
in Europe (MAN, MERCEDES-BENZ, VOLVO...).
The important initiative of FL IBERIA, INFINEUM and CATOR
comes in response to the interest of these companies in
preserving the environment, natural resources and minimizing
energetic expenditure. The ECOROIL project is therefore
the missing link in the ecological chain of manufacturing,
use, collection and recovery of used motor oils.
