CLEVELAND, OH, Feb. 9, 2006 -- According to a new survey by Abanaki Corp., a key provider of oil skimming products, more plant managers are considering recycling waste oil as a way to fight rising energy costs. In the results, 78% of respondents are struggling to find ways to reduce plant energy costs, and in the face of record-high fuel oil prices, 35% of respondents said they would consider burning waste oil to heat their plants.
Now that President Bush has called for new ways for Americans to reduce their addiction to oil, the findings suggest that companies could be doing more to reduce winter heating bills. Although three quarters of the respondents said that their companies skim oil from their wastewater, only 8% said that their plants already burn waste oil for heat, according to Abanaki research in its "Recycling Waste Oil for Heat Survey."
Using an oil skimmer, companies can collect up to 40 gallons per hour of oil or grease from wastewater. When combined with an oil concentrator, the amount of water in the oil can be reduced to less than 1% in most cases, making the oil suitable for burning in a waste oil furnace or boiler.
Abanaki sent the email survey in January 2006 to plant and maintenance managers at manufacturing plants, machine shops and other industrial facilities. The findings are based on 119 completed surveys.
"Plant managers should not let the money hidden in their wastewater go to waste," said Abanaki president Tom Hobson. "Oil skimming cost effectively reclaims oil from wastewater, and as heating bills climb, they can save energy costs by burning it or selling it to a recycler."
In addition, the survey uncovered a widely held misperception: 70% of respondents thought EPA regulations for plants burning their own used oil were more stringent than regulations for waste oil disposal. In fact, the regulations are more relaxed. The EPA supports the burning of used oil on site, because it prevents oil from entering the watershed and eliminates the risk of spills during transportation.
Because it usually has a thicker viscosity, used oil possesses more energy than #2 fuel oil and more than twice the energy value of LP gas or coal. Waste oils that can be burned for heat include almost any oil up to 50 S.A.E.: metal cutting oils, lube oil, crankcase oil, transmission and hydraulic fluid, #1 and #2 diesel fuel, vegetable oils and grease.
Abanaki Corp. (www.abanaki.com), the world leader in oil skimmer products, manufactures a wide range of products to remove oils, greases, solvents, and related hydrocarbons from water. Skimmer models are available with removal rates ranging from 1 to 200 gallons per hour in both stationary and portable systems. Use of Abanaki equipment often allows water, oil and coolant to be recycled, thus avoiding contingent liabilities and costs associated with disposal. Besides off-the-shelf oil and grease skimmers, Abanaki supplies custom designed (turnkey) pollution control systems for a wide variety of applications. Headquartered in Cleveland Ohio, Abanaki has served a global customer base in industries as diverse as iron and steel, wastewater, paper, food processing, automotive, environmental remediation, and recycling for more than 30 years.
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