I have intentionally kept this presentation on a general plane because our actions in this matter will depend, in large measure, upon both the data which the NBS furnishes and the comments we receive pursuant to our notice of proposed rulemaking. We encourage your participation in both the informal preliminary stages of our program and any formal hearings which may be scheduled. Among the objectives of the former Federal Energy Administration's (FEA) Office of Energy Conservation and Environment were: (1) to reduce the energy demand growth rate in the United States, (2) to develop and implement programs that increase the efficient use of energy; and (3) to ensure that environmental concerns are balanced with national energy goals. We therefore sought to enlist participation by broad segments of the Nation's communities in programs that would effectively encourage • the efficient use of energy, energy conservation activities, and • energy usage in an environmentally satisfactory manner. As used oil recovery was deemed an important opportunity for energy conservation, implementation of a program to increase such recovery was developed. The Department of Energy's Office of Conservation and Solar Application's (as it is currently named) Used Oil Program is designed to increase the collection and utilization of used oil through State and local efforts, to create useful market demand for used oil in areas of the country where there has been little demand, to assist in identifying issues relevant to the re-refining industry, and to increase awareness of the potential for recycling used oil through publicity and industrial education programs. From its very onset--which for all intents and purposes, was back in June 1975 when it was nationally endorsed and released by the FEA administrator--the used oil recycling program possessed tremendous potential and was highly considered as an idea whose time had come. (Of course, for many renewable energy resource advocates it was well overdue.) The program is national in scope in terms of serving the Nation's physical and psychological aims of energy conservation: ● physical by virtue of the creation and/or maintenance of an administrative/management mechanism to affect the maximum recovery/reuse of used oil produced in the United States, and • psychological in that it contributes significantly to the maintenance and expansion of the national energy/environment conservation/preservation citizen ethic as a characteristic of our national lifestyle. Orchestration of action is the essential key to accomplishment of these objectives. I will now cite specific Department of Energy Used Oil Recycling Program planned actions. • Continue/increase catalytic action to centrally acquire technical assistance information concerning recycling programs and projects across the Nation. Process this information and share it with appropriate contacts in the recycling network, including State and local governments, oil companies, business, industry, national citizen organizations, other Federal agencies, public interest groups, and citizens in general. • Continue to inspire and promote contact within the three key elements of the recycling equation: governments, companies, and citizens. Promote creation of recycling projects and the publicizing thereof on a nationwide basis. Continue service and support contact with State energy offices to assure optimum consideration of used oil recycling as one of the prime voluntary programs if (as) indicated in the State energy conservation plan. governments. Reinforce the potential for additional recycling funding to State Continue cooperation with other Federal agencies interested in or affected by used oil recycling. • Provide assistance and information to State and local governments in the adoption of legislation governing the controlled recovery/reuse of used oil based on the concepts contained in the Model Used Oil Recycling Act (distributed and prepared by the FEA). • Encourage nationwide specific sponsorship of national used oil recycling programs by nationally organized citizen organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Jaycees, the League of Women Voters, and the American Association of University Women, to name just a few. Coordinate support services by DOE field and regional offices to State and local elements of the recycling spectrum. • Continue to encourage and respond to congressional interest in national used oil recycling issues, including matters of excise tax equalization and constituents' concerns relative to recycling. Continue contact and cooperation with national associations active in the recycling spectrum, i.e., the American Petroleum Institute, the Association of Petroleum Re-refiners, the National Petroleum Council, and the American Society for Testing and Materials. Monitor State and local activities aimed at used oil reclamation, reprocessing, and reuse. National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 556. Proceedings of UTILIZATION OF USED OIL: ENERGY CONSERVATION ASPECTS Gene J. Mascetti Environment and Energy Conservation Division El Segundo, California 92045 A year ago I had the opportunity to speak before you at the first Conference on Measurements and Standards for Recycled Oil. At that time, we were into the initial phase of a study on recycling lube oil, and I was only able to give you the outline and objectives of the study. This time I would like to present some results obtained from the study relative to energy conservation aspects of re-refining used oil, which is the main thrust of the study. This presentation is based on a study by The Aerospace Corporation, initiated under the auspices of the Energy Research and Development Administration and carried over to the newly formed Department of Energy (DOE). The study is being performed for the Industrial Energy Conservation Division under the guidance of Dr. Jerome Collins, although it was initiated for the Non-Highway Energy Conservation Division under Mr. Eugene Eckland. The study was started in late September 1976, and a draft of the final report was submitted to the DOE for review and comments. Final review comments were received a few weeks ago, and we are in the process of revising the report to reflect these comments. The scheduled publication date is January 1978. As I stated in my introductory remarks, the main objective of the study is to assess the energy conservation aspects of re-refining used oil. The analysis makes use of two scenarios to bring out the full potential of re-refining, i.e., all used oil goes either to re-refining or to burning. For each case, the alternative lube or fuel requirements are satisfied from virgin sources. There are five parameters to be considered in the analyses, of which three are related to lube oil processing and two are associated with used oil burning. The parameters related to lube oil manufacture are process energy to produce virgin and re-refined oils and yield of the re-refining process. Parameters affecting burning are process energy and yield of the pretreatment process utilized prior to burning. These two aspects are treated independently for convenience and also because the need (or requirement) for pretreating used oil prior to burning has not been established. An important parameter in assessing energy conservation aspects of re-refining used oil is the amount of energy required to produce the alternate product: virgin lube oil. To establish this baseline, we have defined a typical refining process that consists of the steps shown in table 1 and results in a process energy requirement of 2.16 million British thermal units (Btu's) per barrel, or 51,400 Btu's per gallon. This value differs from those calculated or reported by others and is discussed in the final report. For simplicity and clarity, those other values will not be considered in this presentation. For this presentation, we consider two re-refining processes. The first is a typical acid-clay process, and the second is an example of an advanced process--that which may be obtained through solvent extraction. Note that the solvent extraction process has a higher energy requirement, as well as a higher yield. Also note that both processes include a fractionation step to produce a range of viscosities, even though this is not a common practice today with the acid-clay process. The two scenarios considered in the study, either re-refining or burning of all used oil, and the separate analysis of pretreatment requirements prior to burning can be reduced to equation format (table 2). The first equation shows predicted energy savings due to re-refining in lieu of burning when used oil is burned without pretreatment. The second equation shows incremental energy savings due to re-refining if pretreatment is required. |