LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION AND ADSORPTION ON SOLID SURFACES APPLIED TO USED LUBRICANT OILS RECOVERY

In this work, the recovery of base oils from waste lubricants following the steps of solvent extraction, adsorption on solids and solvent removal by evaporation was evaluated. In the step of solvent extraction, the most efficient was 1-butanol, followed by tert-butanol, 2-propanol and ethanol; for the step of adsorption, activated carbon was the most effective solid for PAH removal, confirming the similarity of these compounds with petroleum aromatic fractions. Thus, the optimum solvent-adsorbent pair for the recovery of used lubricant oils through the proposed methodology was 1-butanol/activated carbon. At the end of the process, it was possible to establish a set of steps that permit the recovery of lubricant base oils with lower content of contaminants.