APPLICATION OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT FOR USED OIL MANAGEMENT

摘要

The disposal of industrial and automobile used oil has been an important environmental issue in the U.S. and other industrial countries. Due to the rapid growth of the automobile population in China in the recent years, the management of automobile used oil will become a very critical issue in both economic development and environmental management. Used oil is both an asset and a liability to the producers of the waste oil. Whether it is an asset or a liability will depend very much on the disposal methods and the management systems utilized by the producers. In general, used oil still has a high energy content and can be reprocessed into fuel. It also retains some basic petroleum characteristics and, thus, can be re-refined into the essential ingredients for lubricants. Consequently, used oil is an asset that should not be simply discarded. However, if inappropriate disposal methods or management systems are employed for treating the used oil, this asset can easily become producers' legal and environmental liabilities.