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البحـث الأول
مجلة النفط والتعاون العربي
161
العدد
- 2017
أربعون
المجلد الثالث و ال
2016
أوابك العلمية لعام
�
ص لبحوث العلمية الفائزة بجائزة
�
عدد خا
99
89
available. The consumption in the Arab countries of about 1.7 million tons a year
may give a collectable used oil of 0.9 million tons a year, which may be
considered as the ultimate potential for the feed of a growing re-refining industry.
The average OPEC crude oil price in 2016 so far is around $31 a barrel which
makes fuel oil prices close to $25 a barrel or about $150 a ton. This price is the
theoretical maximum that used oil can be priced at and therefore the estimated
maximum value of the generated waste oil in the Arab countries would be around
$134 million. This is a saving even if all this money goes to local generators,
collectors, transporters and processors. Crude oil prices may not stay at this low
level and therefore the potential for revenue from used oil is likely to increase
substantially.
Probably the environmental benefits far exceed this revenue and therefore
collection is profitable whatever the final use is. Naturally if the used oil is totally
converted to base oil the added value will play its part in insuring higher revenues.
However, the real financial saving is in promoting longer drain periods as the
region is known to be very conservative where users generally change oil at 2000
to 3000 kilometres for gasoline engine cars and 5000 to 10000 kilometres for
diesel driven trucks. With the advent of public awareness and better grade oils
available it is not an exaggeration to suggest that these drain periods can be
doubled as is evident in other regions of the world. If this can be achieved, a
saving of some half a million tons a year can be realized where at today’s average
base oil prices can be worth $300 to $500 million a year and much more at
finished lubricants prices. In addition to this financial saving, used oil quantity
will decline and the risk to human health and the environment would decrease
too.
As for re-refining, some countries consumption is small and does not support
viable modern re-refining plant, collected oil should be exported to a plant nearby
in a country where re-refining capacity is established or the used oil is delivered
to a legitimate fuel user. In this way, investment is optimized, resource
conservation is maintained and above all the environment is protected. In all cases
the storage and collection system should be designed for re-refining to keep in
mind future possibilities and to avoid mixing with other kinds of waste oils.
This can only be done by having a trade association of lubricants manufacturers,
collectors and re-refiners to coordinate with the health, environment and trade
ministries to issue and inforce the needed legislation and put the industry on the