Rising up to help save the planet by re

Photo courtesy of Blue Tide Environmental

We are becoming accustomed to recycling all sorts of things in our daily lives – from plastics to paper and electronics. We know that recycling helps reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, conserves natural resources and uses less energy, which are effective ways to relieve the negative impact on the planet.

But how much thought have you given to what happens to your vehicle’s oil after you have it changed?

Of course, you want it to be recycled. We all have to do our part in saving the planet, right?

However, is recycling used motor oil actually the best thing to do?

The simple definition of recycling is the process of converting waste into reusable material. But, in the lube oil industry, recycling might not be enough. Generally, recycled motor oil is transformed into a product that has a one-time, limited use – like fuel – which isn’t even suitable for use in automobiles.

It’s still a great idea to recycle that oil, but wouldn’t it be better if you could take that same used oil and convert it into a variety of products, one of which would be suitable for your automobile? And, what if this process was also good, if not better, for the planet than recycling?

That process exists and is called re-refining, which is very different from recycling, as it leads to an equal or better product than the original base oil.

A 2020 Department of Energy report states that 1.4 billion gallons of used oil is available per year for collection, but only 21% is being re-refined.

Poised to take on the re-refining task is Baytown’s newest plant, Blue Tide Environmental.

Blue Tide’s facility, located at 6651 W. Bay Road, was redesigned from the previous vacuum gas oil plant to re-refining plant.

“We discovered a hydrogen line through the front of the property, so converting the plant from its previous use as a vacuum gas oil plant to a base oil plant made all the sense in the world,” said Steve Lewis, Blue Tide’s senior vice president of Global Supply and Specialty Product Sales.

In its effort to put the planet first, Blue Tide designed its re-refining plant and process to decrease carbon emissions and eliminate waste and pollution. It is striving to be part of a circular, sustainable economy. And because oil can be re-refined up to six times during its life, this will help close the loop.

“It’s exciting times. We’re getting very close. October 1 is the magical date for the frontend distillation phase to come online,” said Lewis. “We’re still constructing the second phase, the hydrotreatment process for base oil production, which is on track for completion by the end of April 2024.”

The plant will be an ISO 9001:2015 Certified Facility, a very high quality management standard that is very detail oriented and important to obtain.

With an approximate two-million-gallon storage capacity, Blue Tide will be able to produce 5,000 barrels of industry-leading Group II and Group II+ base oil per day. That’s approximately 60 million gallons a year.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, motor oil does not wear out — it just gets dirty. Less energy is required to produce a gallon of re-refined base stock than a base stock from crude oil. One gallon of used motor oil provides the same 2.5 quarts of lubricating oil as 42 gallons of crude oil.

One gallon of used oil can be processed six times before it’s gone.

This diagram from Blue Tide’s website should give you a basic understanding of the process.

For a more in-depth explanation and more information on their products, visit

bluetideenv.com.

THE PROCESS

Blue Tide doesn’t operate its own used oil collection trucks, so it relies on used oil collection companies for the product, which comes from auto repair shops, car dealers, industrial shops, truck stops, municipalities, etc.

“We use third party used oil collectors from all over Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and beyond,” explained Lewis. “We either have the used oil picked up from their site in tractor trailers or they will bring it to our plant direct – which we welcome with open arms.”

Since there are no direct rail lines to the plant site, Blue Tide decided to lease off-site tanks at a local terminal for transloading product from the railcars as they come in. Trucks will then transport the product to the facility.

In addition, the strategically located facility along the Cedar Bayou of the Houston Ship Channel will incorporate a two-slip barge dock providing access to tanker markets for both receiving and shipping.

“In time, Blue Tide may extend its reach to bring in used oil from all over the U.S. – but only when and where it makes sense economically and logistically,” said Lewis.

Blue Tide will house a 2,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art lab with the latest instrumentation and the most modern testing methods, making it the most technologically advanced plant in North America. And it has a strict acceptance criteria that must meet certain parameters since not all oils are refinable.

“We’re all about quality control,” said Lewis. “We complete a full analysis on the product before unloading it. It has to be prequalified for account set up before it is even loaded onto a truck, railcar or barge. Then once it comes into our plant, we double check and test it again before it can be unloaded into our guard tanks.

“Making sure the product is always in our specification ranges and meeting the quality we desire is of the utmost importance in what we do,” said Lewis. “We collect it, aggregate it, test it, retest it and retest it again – ensuring that what we feed the plant will produce a high quality product on the backend that meets and exceeds the most stringent industry standards. It makes all the difference in the products we produce.

See all of the great articles and photos in Greater Baytown's July issue!

“You’ve heard the saying ‘you are what you eat?’” Lewis said with a laugh.

Here’s a basic explanation of the process and the products. The dehydration removes the water and light ends resulting in the first by-product, BT industrial fuel, which is a component for industrial type fuels. Then, through reduced pressures and high temperatures, the vacuum distillation separates out the vacuum gas oil and the heavy hydrocarbons and spent additive packages that make up a by-product called BT Flux, which is the thickest product that is generated. This asphalt-like substance has multiple applications within the asphalt industry and is used in residential and commercial roofing products and industrial applications, like pipe coatings, sealants and waterproofing. Next, the majority remaining vacuum gas oil becomes feedstock for the hydrotreater and is eventually converted into base oil.

After the base oil leaves the hydrotreater, it goes through a fractionator producing three viscosity grades of Group II and Group II+ base oils, as well as a Blue Tide gas oil product, BTGO, used for off-road applications and as a blend component for marine fuels.

The three grades of base oil produced are:

• BT70 - a very light grade that can be used in a variety of industrial applications, including as a blend stock, industrial fluids, process oils, automatic transmission fluids and light hydraulic oils.

• BT120 - a mid-grade superior Group II+ Base Oil used for passenger car motor oil and hydraulics. It is the majority of the product Blue Tide produces.

• BT220 - another superior Group II+ Base Oil blending component used in heavy duty engine oils for large trucks.

“Quality lubricants for new vehicles to drive further and longer on oil changes are in demand,” said Lewis. “To meet these demands, it calls for higher quality base oils, which are the foundation for formulated lubricant products. We are striving to make the best oil we can with our Group II and Group II+ base oil products, which are recognized in the industry as having exceptional quality.”

THE COMMUNITY

“We’re super excited to be here in Baytown. The community has been fantastic… Chambers County… Everybody… All the folks we work with,” said Lewis. “The support has been recognized. And now, we want to give back and be a part of the community. It’s very important that we live together in harmony and be at one with our community.”

Blue Tide has several alliances and partners with a variety of organizations.

The ones closest to home are the Hearts and Hands of Baytown Food Pantry and Humble’s Summer Creek High School Tiny House Project for homeless veterans. Another is the Coastal Conservation Association which works to protect the health, habitat and sustainability of our marine resources, and interests of recreational anglers.

Blue Tide expects to employ approximately 60 people at the Baytown plant alone. As the plant nears completion, it expects to continue to hire operators and various other skilled manufacturing positions.

The Baytown area is already home to a lot of industries that care about our planet and our community. And now, it can add a used motor oil re-refining facility to that list.

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