Technical feasibility of using spent lubricating oil as a body fuel in traditional clay brick making operations
Master Thesis
2002
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
Used lubricating oil is regarded as a toxic and hazardous industrial waste. Several researchers have worked on finding environmentally friendly ways of used oil disposal. In South Africa, used lubes are: * reprocessed for subsequent burning * reprocessed for other uses * burned in lime plants, and in brick and tile kilns * re-refined. In brick making, more than two thirds of the energy at a factory is used during the firing process. To reduce the energy demands of this process, brick makers mix solid fuels (known as "body fuels"), clay and water, a practice that has been known to exist for centuries. Fuels that have been tried and used as body fuels in the world are coal, sawdust, sewage sludge, industrial organic waste, rice husks and other agricultural waste. Among these, coal has the highest calorific value ranging between 22 to 29 MJ/kg. In South Africa coal is the most commonly used body fuel. The use of used lubricating oil as a body fuel has been reported, but the process has not been technically or scientifically studied. The project was proposed at the University of Cape Town to find more ways in which spent oil could be utilized as an energy source, i.e. to provide the energy required during the firing of bricks. This study was carried out with the aim of investigating the technical feasibility of using spent lubricating oil in low technology clay brick operations in South Africa. The study was applied to the operation of a traditional clamp kiln operation, but the method and results obtained can be modified and applied to other brick making technologies.
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Bibliography: leaves 87-90.
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Mutsago, M. 2002. Technical feasibility of using spent lubricating oil as a body fuel in traditional clay brick making operations. University of Cape Town.