Bahrain plant that recycles waste lube oil and converts it into fresh lubricants and pitch is playing a significant role in keeping the environment free from contamination. The $9 million AGAS Lubes plant in Sitra has prevented around 5,000 tonnes of waste lube oil from being dumped into the soil or the sea since it began operations in January, the company says. The recycled oil, on conversion to fresh lubricants and pitch, can be used in surfacing and resurfacing roads. Response encouraging KA Padmanaban, the company’s vice president for technical matters, says it uses Bahrain waste oil and imports some quantities for its operations. 'The response has been very encouraging and we are all set to expand our capacity to 3,000 tonnes per month soon,' he adds. To make that possible, the company will be adding one more unit. Padmanaban said all lube oil used in cars and other vehicles as well as the oil used in garages and workshops was thrown away or sold to people who re-sold it in some form. If the oil was thrown away it would pose a serious threat to the environment. 'Since these used oils are insoluble and slow to degrade, they are the single largest source of water pollution worldwide,' he added. The AGAS Lubes plant was officially inaugurated by His Majesty King Hamad’s Personal Representative and President of the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife, Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Integrated facilities The plant has integrated facilities for used oil collection, transportation, storage, quality checks, processing and export of base oils and other by-products worldwide. It is also equipped to recycle used lubricants with near zero waste with its use of sophisticated green technology capabilities, including ‘wiped thin film evaporator’ under high vacuum. Advanced technology enables recycling of used lube oil into high-value products such as various grades of reclaimed base oils, fuel oil and bituminous oil, without compromising quality and minimal environmental impact. The recycling process does not contaminate the environment, the company claims.
