Acid clay treatment is a method historically used in the process of re-refining or treating used oils to remove impurities.
Based on the provided reference, the acid clay process for used oil involves several key steps aimed at purifying the oil:
- Initial Preparation: Used oil is typically filtered first to remove larger debris and solid particles.
- Heating: The filtered oil is then heated to eliminate water content.
- Acid Mixing: Sulfuric acid is introduced and mixed with the heated oil. This step is crucial for extracting various contaminants.
- Impurity Extraction: The sulfuric acid works to extract specific impurities from the used oil, including:
- Metal salts
- Acids
- Aromatics
- Asphaltenes
- Other general impurities
- Sludge Formation: As a result of the acid mixing and impurity extraction, an acidic sludge forms.
- Settling: This acidic sludge then settles out of the oil, separating the purer oil from the contaminants.
In essence, the acid clay treatment utilizes sulfuric acid to chemically react with and remove various undesirable components from used oil, leaving behind a clearer oil and a significant volume of acidic sludge.
