Eight-Step Process from Collection to Final Product
Our re-refinery processes up to 75 million gallons of used oil annually through an eight-step process involving vacuum distillation, hydrotreatment, and steam stripping. This transforms used motor oil, hydraulic fluids, and industrial lubricants into three primary products: Group II base oils at 55+ million gallons annually, vacuum tower asphalt extender, and hydrotreated low sulfur fuel oil. Operations run 24/7 with experienced engineers, operators, and lab technicians ensuring quality at every stage.
Final products undergo laboratory testing to meet API and ILSAC industry standards before distribution. Re-refined base oils perform identically to virgin products in automotive, industrial, and marine applications while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 77% compared to virgin oil production.
Collection & Consolidation
Professional Crystal Clean representatives collect used oil from generators, which is transported and consolidated at one of Crystal Clean’s regional hub facilities.
Testing
Samples of the consolidated used oil are sent to the re-refinery in Indianapolis for initial acceptance testing. Any used oil which does not pass acceptance testing is prepared as a recycled fuel oil and sold as fuel for a waste-to-energy operation.
Transportation
The used oil is transported to the re-refinery and goes through additional testing to ensure it meets all necessary quality specifications to produce high-quality finished products. After it passes testing, the used oil is unloaded by terminal technicians into a feed tank to mix together into a consistent load.
Vacuum Distillation
The used oil is fed into a vacuum distillation unit which boils the oil in an extreme vacuum environment. This separates the used oil into vacuum gas oils (VGO), light distillate fuels (LDF) and vacuum tower asphalt extender (VTAE).
Separation
Vacuum gas oils are separated and prepared for further re-refining. Light distillate fuels are burned for energy to power the re-refinery and the remaining fuel is combined and stored with the vacuum gas oils. The vacuum tower asphalt extender is extracted and stored in a separate tank.
Hydrotreatment
The vacuum gas oil is fed into a hydrotreatment unit. The unit consists of reactors containing a hydrogen-rich environment that use high temperatures and pressure to remove heavy metals, sulfur, oxygen and other contaminants from the oil.
Finishing
The treated vacuum gas oil is removed from the hydrotreatment unit and sent through a steam stripper to further separate it into distinct finished fuels and base oils.
Final Testing and Sales
The purified fuels and oils go through final testing to ensure they meet or exceed API and ILSAC industry standards, and are then prepared for sale in the marketplace.
Relevant Services
Waste collected from the following services have the ability to be disposed using Crystal Clean’s oil re-refining capabilities.
