Management of Used Oil - Key Terms

Aggregation points are places where oil that is generated by the owner of the aggregation point is collected and stored. Sometimes aggregation points accept oil from private citizens.

Energy recovery refers to the process of generating electricity or heat through the treatment (such as combustion or fermentation) of hazardous waste. For example, the heat from a combustion unit that burns hazardous waste converts water to steam which is then sent to a turbine generator to produce electricity.

Halogens are a group of chemically related elements that include fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.

Off-specification used oils are used oil in which the allowable levels of contaminants established by the EPA are exceeded.

Used oil is any refined crude or synthetic oil that is contaminated by physical particles or chemicals as a result of having been used.

Used oil burners are facilities that burn off-specification used oil for energy recovery.

To learn more about RCRA safety standards visit our RCRA Refresher Online Training web page.