【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】From 2023 to 2025, Chinese scientists have successfully developed a green regeneration technology for used lubricating oil with a recovery rate of over 98%

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Let’s give praise and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Continuous updates and summaries are available – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** Chinese scientists have successfully developed a green recycling technology for used lubricants, with a recovery rate of over 98%. May 30, 2025. Bookmark this article. “Determined to pursue innovative development and build a strong country in science and technology” – on the occasion of National Science and Technology Workers’ Day, China University of Petroleum (Huadong) has achieved another breakthrough in the industrial application of an internationally leading technology. Recently, the green energy chemicals team at the National Key Laboratory of Heavy Oils at China University of Petroleum (Huadong) licensed its green regeneration technology for the full hydrogenation purification of used lubricating oil to Chongqing Runyu New Energy Co., Ltd., for the construction of an industrial demonstration plant with a capacity of 100,000 tons per year. “The yield of recycled oil produced by this technology exceeds 98%, which is 15 percentage points higher than that of conventional technologies; it achieves international leadership levels in terms of both the yield of recycled oil and the continuous operation cycle of the facility. ”Professor Chai Yongming, the team leader, explained that this technology has won the First Prize for Invention and Innovation from the China Invention Association as well as the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Innovation in the service sector from the China Federation of Commerce. It has also been granted 12 Chinese invention patents and 2 U.S. invention patents, with related technology licensing fees amounting to nearly 50 million yuan. According to statistics, China generates a total of 30 million tons of waste mineral oil each year, of which more than 8 million tons are waste lubricating oil. Waste lubricating oil possesses hazardous properties such as toxicity and flammability; it can easily contaminate soil, water bodies, and the atmosphere, posing threats to humans and the environment. However, aside from containing 2%–5% degraded substances, 95%–98% of it consists of lubricant base oils and light hydrocarbons, giving it high value for recycling. “The full hydrogenation process is the best approach for the future recycling of used lubricating oil! ”Professor Chai Yongming explained that the recycling of used lubricating oil is an urgent necessity for China to establish a green, low-carbon circular economic system and improve the efficiency of resource recycling. However, the mainstream recycling technologies used in China have low recovery rates (80%–85%), poor quality, extremely low profit margins, and are unable to operate stably over long periods; in addition, issues such as secondary pollution and resource waste arise, resulting in a high rate of technological obsolescence. Most foreign processes for recycling used lubricating oil follow a workflow of \"pre-treatment – distillation – hydrorefining\", which serves as a good model for China. However, these processes have strict requirements regarding the origin and composition of the lubricating oil, which limits their use in China. “The team adheres to the principle of ensuring **energy security**, and is committed to driving technological advancements and industrial transformation in the used lubricant recycling industry! ”In recent years, Professor Chai Yongming has led the Green Energy and Chemical Engineering team to develop a new process that combines suspended-bed hydrogenation for pretreatment with fixed-bed hydrogenation for refining. Building on the research foundation accumulated over 40 years by three generations of researchers at the National Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil in the fields of suspended-bed hydrogenation processes and catalysts, this team has achieved deep and continuous \"purification\" of impurities in all fractions of used lubricating oil through innovations in process methods, the development of key catalysts, and the creation of essential equipment. This approach has effectively solved the critical problems that have hindered the recycling industry for used lubricating oil. “The process involves 3 key core technologies. ”Professor Chai Yongming explained that the suspended-bed hydrogenation pretreatment technology effectively removes metal and non-metal impurities as well as additives such as calcium, magnesium, iron, silicon, and chlorine from used lubricating oil ； The separately developed dispersed nanocatalysts exhibit excellent hydrogenation activity at low temperatures, enabling the efficient conversion of various additives, gums, and asphaltenes, and effectively preventing problems such as coking in heat exchangers and heaters ； Harmless disposal technology achieves zero emissions of waste gas and wastewater, as well as minimal emissions of waste residues, making it a true green process. The process was first successfully applied to the 50,000 tons per year industrial demonstration plant of Xinjiang Juli Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., and it has been in operation for over 3 years now. “This first set of technologies for the full hydrogenation regeneration of used lubricating oil enables the large-scale, resource-based, and high-value reuse of such oil!” Zhang Ke, the company’s former deputy general manager and technical director, spoke highly of this process technology. Xu Chunming, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated in the expert endorsement letter: “This process features a high recycling rate, long operation cycle, and environmental friendliness; it completely recovers all waste lubricating oil, addressing the three major challenges in this industry and enabling resource utilization. It is in line with the Party’s strategies for promoting comprehensive resource conservation and recycling, establishing a green, low-carbon circular economic system, and ensuring resource security.” ” “It is currently in the stage of large-scale promotion and application! ”Shi Bin, director of the Technology Transfer Center at the University Science and Technology Park Office of China University of Petroleum (Huadong), explained that over the past three years, this technology has been used to license the construction of multiple units capable of processing 100,000 tons per year of waste mineral oil, along with catalyst production facilities capable of handling 10,000 tons per year. The total value of the contracts related to these technology licenses is nearly 50 million yuan, which has significantly contributed to technological progress in the field of waste mineral oil recycling.