Used oil pioneer extends green footprint

An estimated 350 million litres of new lubricant oil are used by businesses in South Africa every year. Of this oil, roughly 150 million litres are recycled, thanks to key role players such as BME.

The increased use of lubricating oil has created a need to recycle the used product, which contains many contaminants considered dangerous to the environment. This has necessitated the establishment of initiatives to ensure the responsible recycling of used oil.

A leading recycler of used oil in South Africa is Omnia Group company BME, which accounts for around 20% of the country’s total volume of available used oil. For over three decades, BME has led the industry in incorporating used oil into its world-class emulsion explosives, ensuring greener blasts and reducing environmental risk. The waste product is used as a fuel agent in the company’s high-quality emulsions. BME is one of 21 companies in the ROSE (Recycling Oil Saves the Environment) Foundation, which supports a renewed drive to protect the environment – through managing the collection, storage and processing of used lubricating oil in South Africa.

Green footprint

“BME offers cutting-edge products and services at every stage in the explosives supply chain. As a leading, global manufacturer and supplier of explosives, we provide everything from basic commercial explosives to fully integrated services – including detailed blast design and optimisation – depending on the client’s needs,” asserts Dirk Voogt, GM: Production and Logistics, BME. This commitment has seen BME receive many accolades. In 2021, it was recognised by the Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association (CAIA) for its contribution to a cleaner environment – winning the CAIA Responsible Care initiative of the year award, in the company projects: Category A segment.

The award was for BME’s incorporation of used oil as a base product for its emulsion explosives, removing the risk that it could contaminate water or soil. According to Ramesh Dhoorgapersadh, GM: Safety, Health, Environment and Quality, BME, the initiative is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the company’s ongoing environmental, social and governance commitment.

“As part of the Omnia Group, we pursue initiatives in direct and indirect alignment with the SDGs,” says Dhoorgapersadh. “Our used oil initiative speaks to the environmental stewardship goals of Clean Water & Sanitation, Life Below Water, Life On Land, and Partnerships for the Goals.”

It even addresses the SDG on Zero Hunger, as the preservation of clean water resources is essential to food security. Indeed, the benefits of this collection network go beyond just protecting the environment by ensuring used oil is collected, recycled and reused.

“The responsible disposal of the oil in our emulsion adds another dimension to our partnership with mining customers – supporting their sustainability efforts while reducing their logistical load and environmental risk,” he says.

Growing network

In order to secure the volume of used oil required for its own use, BME developed a used oil collection network and processing facilities. Currently, the company consumes almost 25 million litres of used oil annually in South Africa and is now extending the benefits of its used oil initiative to its mining customers and approved partners globally.

“Through this collection network, we are able to ensure that used oil from our customers and other sources does not find its way into our valuable water resources or soil,” says Voogt.

He explains that the company’s oil collection network started almost 30 years ago, when BME brought cold emulsion technology to South Africa.

Initially, BME collected used oil directly from mine sites; however, due to increasing demand for large volumes and stringent quality requirements, the company started to develop its own bulk used oil collection network in 2016. BME currently has 11 approved suppliers of used oil throughout most provinces in South Africa.

“This reflects our close collaboration with our customers and beyond,” says Doorgapersadh.

These approved suppliers, known as bulking points, collect used oil from various contracted generators and store the used oil in large volumes. The used oil is sampled at the bulking points and tested by the BME Laboratory in Losberg, Gauteng. The used oil is only collected by BME for processing once its quality is approved. Upon collection, it is carefully treated in BME’s treatment plant near Delmas, Mpumalanga, to remove undesirable contaminants.

Only after stringent testing can the processed oil be used as a fuel source in BME’s range of emulsions, ensuring the products’ customary high levels of safety, stability and performance. Dhoorgapersadh adds that advantages can be seen in the quality of the end product.

“From a safety, quality and consistency point of view, having our own screening and cleaning facility is essential, but from an explosives safety management point of view, the chemistry of the product needs to be consistent,” he says. “If you don’t keep the input consistent, you will not get a consistent product. When using recycled oil, it is important that we are very strict with regard to the quality of oil we get, as it impacts how hard or soft rock reacts in the blasting process.”

Numerous benefits

a solid platform for these small businesses to develop their expertise and standards, so they can fulfil this need into the future,” adds Govender.

This growing network benefits BME’s mining clients, not only in South Africa, but as far afield as West Africa and Indonesia.

“Wherever there are sufficient sources of used oil, we can put the technology, equipment and processes in place to support the principles of a more circular economy,” says Govender.

The future

Government is in the process of finalising legislation to mandate producers and manufacturers of oil to develop sustainable recycling and collection schemes. BME supports the proposed legislation and is excited about participating and playing a supporting role with all the relevant partners.

The company’s well established oil collection network has evolved over the years and aligns with the ISO 9000 quality certification. And as a registered approved collector and processor with the ROSE Foundation, BME is excited about further expanding its business internationally.

According to Sachin Govender, manager: Used Oil, BME, small businesses are among the most important contributors to the success of the company’s used oil collection network, and through the initiative, they have been able to create long-term business opportunities in the local economy, stimulating entrepreneurial activity and generating jobs.

“Our infrastructure relies on small and micro-businesses to collect oil in a compliant manner from a range of sectors outside mining, such as vehicle maintenance workshops,” says Govender. “This has led to a bulking point network that already provides employment for over 120 people in South Africa.”

BME also runs an online lead generation forum where micro-entrepreneurs and the broader community can organise drop-off or collection of their waste oil.

“We are collaborating with different communities to remove the environmental risk associated with used oil and utilise it responsibly. As BME, we are dedicated to collaborating with small – even informal – businesses to collect used oil, thus creating demand in the local economy. The company’s regular and growing demand for used oil provides