49. Cabecera noticia Informes Oficiales 2023
In 2023, 131,000 tonnes of waste oil were managed, with 78% being transformed into regenerated bases
SIGAUS, a Circular Economy leader in the field of industrial waste, recently submitted its 2023 Official Reports to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITERD), as well as to the competent bodies of the different Autonomous Communities, on behalf of its member companies. According to these reports, the ecological targets established by the regulations on waste oil have been met, as well as the management of 131,000 tonnes of this waste during the past year. These reports also provide a territorial analysis of waste oil collection and the environmental benefits achieved.
14-05-2024
24. Parrafo noticia Informes Oficiales 2023
SIGAUS submitted its 2023 Official Reports electronically, its main tool for communicating to Public bodies the results of the work it carries out in the management of waste oil and reporting compliance with the ecological targets established by regulations. This edition has a more visual design and a new content structure, making it easier to read.
As reflected in these reports, in 2023, SIGAUS-affiliated companies sold a total of 287,675 tonnes of industrial oils, following the downward trend seen in 2022, with a slight decrease of 0.4% with respect to that year. The largest share (57%) was sold in the automotive sector, while 41% was sold in industry. As for the product’s origin, 70% was domestically produced.
In terms of waste oil generation in the territory, the document provides data such as the number of producer establishments (67,109), the municipalities in which collections were registered (4,782) and the number of collection operations (175,621), as well as specific data on collection in areas of particular difficulty (rural, mountainous or unpopulated areas) and those of particular environmental vulnerability (due to their location in the vicinity of protected areas or water resources).
To achieve this, SIGAUS had an operational network made up of 164 companies and 205 facilities that cover the different phases of waste management, from collection to analysis, storage and final treatment. Through this management network, last year 159,387 gross tonnes of waste oil was collected (including 18% water and other waste).
32. Parrafo cita Informes Oficiales 2023
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With the Official Reports, SIGAUS provides Public Bodies with an account of its work in the management of waste oil, as well as compliance with the ecological targets established by current regulations.
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A new life for waste oil
After discounting water and sediments, the amount of waste ultimately managed was 131,293 tonnes. In compliance with the established recovery target, 100% was subjected to different types of treatments to transform it into new products. Specifically, 77.9% (almost 13 points above the legal target) of the regenerated waste oil was allocated to regeneration treatment, the priority by law, which allows waste oil to be transformed into lubricant bases suitable for the manufacture of new industrial oils. Thanks to the regeneration of 101,774 tonnes, it was possible to produce around 64,000 tonnes of new lubricant. The quantity of waste oil treated for subsequent use as fuel allowed for the production of some 26,000 tonnes of fuel oil.
Besides supplying the market with these valuable new products, the transformation of waste oil into these products avoided the emission of over 83,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, and the consumption of 1,320 GWh of energy and 33 million barrels of oil, since regenerated base or fuel oil production from waste oil requires less energy and emits less CO2 than primary production from oil, which also uses a large amount of this non-renewable raw material.
24. Parrafo noticia Informes Oficiales 2023 (II)
*A waste oil generation coefficient of over 40% guarantees that the recycling/ collection target will be met, as the authorities acknowledge that lubricant oil loses up to 60% of its volume when used.
All this information on industrial oil and the management of waste oil sent to public administrations comes from the SIGAUS Technological Information System (TIS), an essential tool for the preparation of these reports, which is fed by the official documents provided by used oil management companies that certify the complete traceability of the waste, from its origin to its final treatment. Traceability that is also applicable to a geographic information system (GIS) to improve information control and its graphic exposition.
Information transparency
The Official Reports submitted include a number of additional sections, such as Annual Monitoring and Control Report on the Execution of the Prevention Business Plan through which SIGAUS promotes a reduction in the environmental footprint of the industrial oils marketed by its affiliated companies. Within the context of this Plan, last year these companies declared 557 actions aimed at reducing industrial oil’s impact on the environment, such as extending its useful life, using regenerated bases in the formulation of new lubricants and promoting the use of microlubrication techniques, among others.
Furthermore, in line with SIGAUS' commitment to transparency, the Reports also contain information on the review and control actions carried out during the past year to verify the statements provided, both by the adhered companies and by authorised waste oil managers.
It also includes information on the Lubricants Market Study in Spain, prepared by the independent consulting firm PwC, which served to establish the market share for which SIGAUS was responsible in 2023 in terms of financing, as well as a summary of the different communication actions that the entity carried out last year.