Motor oil company Valvoline has launched a recycled line of motor oil that contains 50% recycled content.
The
NextGen brand reduces fossil fuel use, lowers emissions and helps keep
used oil out of water supplies, the company said. It will soon be
available at most major auto parts stores and at Wal-Mart.
Valvoline
says it is the first national brand to introduce a recycled-content motor
oil. However, Safety-Kleen began selling recycled oil under the brand
name EcoPower in 2009.
More than 3 billion quarts of oil are
consumed by U.S. cars and trucks annually. Finished motor oil is
generally made from 85% base oil and 15% additives. The "oil part" of
motor oil doesn’t really wear out. As oil goes through the drain cycle
in the engine, it’s the additives that wear out
Valvoline’s
oil recycling uses the same refining processes used for crude oil
refining, including hydro-treating and distillation techniques to remove
contaminants and used-up additives. This process results in recycled
base oils that can have the same quality and performance as base oils
made from virgin crude, the company said.
If all US car
owners switched to 50% recycled-content oil, it would reduce the need
for 1.6 billion quarts of oil. That’s enough oil to line up barrels from
New York to Los Angeles and back every year, Valvoline said.
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