Strategies for vehicle waste-oil management: a case study

The petroleum industry has grown at a very fast rate since its inception an d became an indispensable element of society particularly in urban communit ies. Besides the fact that petroleum and crude oil are not inexhaustible re sources, waste products resulting from this industry present a hazard to hu man health and the environment. As such, proper management of waste oil is necessary to prevent its adverse impacts. This paper describes current wast e-oil management practices in Lebanon and identifies the extent of potentia l adverse environmental impacts associated with these practices. Strategies for proper waste-oil management are then proposed in the context of prevai ling public perception and environmental awareness. Finally, the economic f easibility of waste-oil recycling as a management option is discussed, taki ng into consideration country-specific technical and socio-economic charact eristics. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.