LECORP Systems Division designs and builds custom material processing systems. LECORP systems operate in industries such as tire manufacturing, ash recovery, and aluminum recovery. LECORP has developed a system in the environmental field for the recovery of waste engine oil and diesel fuel filters. The filter recovery system is a unique process that can accept spent automotive oil filters and related wastes and deliver recyclable materials. Our largest oil filter recycling system currently in operation receives over four tons per hour of spent oil filters, and produces 7000 pounds per hour of steel, 700 pounds of paper and 150 gallons of waste oil, all of which are recycled or reused.

Approximately 85% of used oil filters in the United States are disposed of in landfills. This results in 17.8 million gallons of oil and 161,500 tons of steel going to waste. Both of these resources could have been recycled instead. The Filter Manufacturers Council has predicted that filter usage will continue to rise to the tune of an additional 100 million by the end of the decade. Consequently, some states and communities are now starting to address the issue of oil filter recycling. By the end of 1995 three states--Minnesota, Texas and Rhode Island had completely banned oil filters from landfills. It is likely that more states and communities will follow suit in the future.

As with oil recycling, methods of oil filter collection may vary from area to area. Some communities operate public collection centers. Other communities have initiated curbside collection. In some states, retail outlets and service stations will accept used filters.

Since May of 1992, the EPA has exempted used oil filters from hazardous waste requirements as long as they are not constructed of terne plate steel (a lead/tin alloy). Once the oil filters have been collected, they are sent to processing facilities where they are drained of oil (regulations require that filters be hot drained). The filters are then either crushed into flat pucks, compressed into cubes (or hemispheres), shredded, or dismantled.

Waste oil filter disposal is difficult. The construction of the filter results in a waste product with filter media impregnated with waste oil, and free oil, trapped within a steel shell. Separating the three materials for recovery has been studied for years, with mixed results. Generally, the cost to recover the materials in the filters has been too high to justify. Typical oil filter recycling costs are estimated at $0.30 to $0.70 each.  Land filling the filters is accepted as the only economical solution in most states. This situation, while not as noticeable as waste tires, is certainly no less destructive to the groundwater.

LECORP engineers developed an industrial oil filter recovery system to address these problems. The system is cost effective, environmentally friendly, and has over five years of refinement in the field to ensure trouble free operation. In operation, the system can be fed by drum or dump trailer, with intact or crushed oil filters. The oil is removed for recycling, the filter media is removed and used as boiler fuel, and the remaining steel is recycled to steel mills.

LECORP can provide the design and equipment for virtually any size system required. The largest in operation currently processes 4.4 tons of oil filters per hour, operating two shifts. That's about 22 million oil filters every year. Environmentally friendly and profitable at the same time.