SKF establishing new plant for regenerating industrial oils in Spain

The project will use the Double Separation Technology (DST) developed by SKF RecondOil to remove contaminants from used oils, and return them to a cleaner, usable and high-grade state.

The technology is already in place at multiple sites in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

“With this technology we can achieve unprecedented levels of oil cleanliness that enable repeated reuse of oil in the same application. Our service is a technological breakthrough, targeting the implementation of the patented technology at significant commercial scale”, says Carl Philip Fredborg, Teamleader, Deployment and Aftersales at SKF RecondOil.

The installation at Tudela is in its final stages and SKF expects to start servicing customers by early Q2, 2022. Early results from the installations show that honing oil and filter consumption has decreased significantly, and product quality has improved as a result of the clean oil.

The DST combines chemical and mechanical separation processes. In the first step, a specialized chemical composition, called a booster, is added to the oil. The booster attracts dirt within the oil – all the way down to nano-sized particles – while leaving essential oil additives intact. In the second step, all the dirt is separated from the oil, leaving a clean oil that can be continually regenerated.

The process allows for circular recovery and reuse of oils that typically would have reached the end of their life, requiring disposal. Disposal typically involves waste incineration.

Implementation of DST has the potential to decrease the need for production of fossil-based virgin oil, lower the consumption of fossil fuels and the emissions associated with the production, transportation and disposal of the replaced virgin oil. Expectations are that up to 2.5 million litres of used oil can be treated in the new processing plant annually. At full capacity this means the new processing plant helps avoid more than 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions during its first 10 years of operation (compared to the same amount of virgin oil being produced, used and disposed).

The DST and new processing plants could be deployed near large industrial hubs and for clients operating in different regional industries, such as chemicals, petrochemicals, refineries and aeronautics. The technology can be used for replicability in the industrial oil sector which may contribute to environmental advantages and emissions reductions. The solution can be used in almost all the manufacturing industries, including aerospace, marine, mining, mineral processing, cement production, and car and truck manufacturing, in Europe and worldwide.