Dhaka, Jan 19, 2020 (EP) - Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has conducted a study on standard of lubricant oil that stressed the need for establishing a reliable standard urgently to protect engines and reduce pollution created from the automotive engines.
The study recommended setting up a proper monitoring cell to control adulteration and ensuring the quality of the lube oil.
It also suggested building up proper waste re-refining plants and policy so that the waste oil can be used in the re-refining plant to recover base oil, which can be used for producing blended lubricants after mixing with additives in appropriate proportion that will save environment as well as foreign currency.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), which has involved the BUET to conduct the study, arranged a seminar on Sunday presided over by BERC Chairman Monowar Islam (NDC) while BERC Member Rahman Murshed was the welcome speaker.
The team head of the study Prof Dr. Ijaz Hossain has presented the summary of the study, followed by key note presentation by his fellows Assistant Professor Dr. Shahinur Islam and Prof Dr. Mominur Rahman of Chemical Engineering Department, BUET.
According to the study, 65-75 percent of used oil can be recovered by re-cycling, but unfortunately illegal companies are doing this randomly without maintain any standard.
It resulted in huge amount of the sub-standard lube oil in the market which is polluting the environment and damaging the lifetime of the engines.
The stakeholders who were present in the seminar demanded a separate testing lab for the petroleum to control the adulteration and illegal re-refineries.
They also recommended making a prudent framework to protect the import of waste oil which is banned.
Awareness should be created among the users because most of the time drivers recommend the sub-standard oil due to lack of knowledge. They added that the waste lube also should be included in the core pPetroleum policy.
The study has assessed the national and international practice for lubricating oil codes and standard collecting the selective lube oil samples and demand- supply trend. Though the BUET team has not provided required survey data for detail study. Thus the research has been completed at a primary stage.
The BERC Chairman said that recently the government has given a land to them, so he has a desire to build up a laboratory in the land though the plan is yet to be sketched.
Among the discussants, Abu Jafor, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Blenders Association, M. Mukul Hossain, CEO of MJL Bangladesh Ltd, Mamunur Rashid Khan AGM ( process), Eastern Refinery Ltd (ERL), AHM Mojid Rahim, former Managing Director (ERL), Saidul Islam, Deputy Director of Bangladesh Standards & Testing Institution (BSTI), were present in the seminar.
