Levels of contaminants in used motor oil and their potential effect on the environment
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Date
NOVEMBER, 2015
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Abstract
Motor oil used by internal combustion engines requires replacement over a period due to
contamination that affects its lubricating functions. The used motor oil finally ends up in the
environment, whose physicochemical compositions are unknown to determine the impact. This
thesis contains information concerning the environmental impact associated with used motor oil.
Some of the various ways by which it enters the environment were reviewed. The
physicochemical properties (heavy metals, volatile aromatic hydrocarbons, total petroleum
hydrocarbons, H2S, density, specific gravity, water content, viscosity, pour point, flash point,
soot content, and colour), determined by collecting ten used motor oil samples each from private
and commercial vehicles and two samples of fresh motor oil for petrol and diesel engines using
the American Standard for Testing Measurement (ASTM) are as described. The results showed
that the used oils recorded high levels of contaminants above the EPA maximum permissible
limit for waste oils. Again the commercial vehicles recorded high levels of contaminants in the
used oils than the private vehicles. It can be concluded that motor oils have significant amount of
harmful substances and metals, and therefore must be treated to reduce these contaminants levels
before they are reused or final disposal into the environment.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
Master of Science degree in Environmental Science.