Why and How Antifreeze Is Recycled

Antifreeze is a crucial component for most car engines between October and April, especially in colder climates. When cars properly utilize antifreeze, their radiators are protected against extreme temperatures that could cause them to freeze. However, this liquid temperature reducer needs to be at the right levels and have the right cleanliness to do its job well. 

When vehicle owners notice that their antifreeze starts to get old and change colors, they'll bring it to your shop, and you'll need to drain it from the vehicle and replace it with a new solution. But what should you do with the used antifreeze? Recycle it — and today, you'll learn why and how to do so.

Antifreeze usually consists of a variety of chemicals mixed together, designed to lower the freezing temperature of the fluids a car needs to run. Each of the components presents an environmental hazard on their own, but together, they can risk damaging any person, animal, or ecosystem that takes in the liquid. Additionally, the use of antifreeze allows it to pick up heavy metals, which will add to the toxicity of the solution.

If your shop chooses to recycle the antifreeze you drain from your customers' cars, you'll be joining a low percentage of people, but a worthy one. Not only will you be reducing the chemicals your natural environment has to absorb, but you'll be cutting down on the use of ethylene glycol, which comes from natural gas and is therefore non-renewable. The more your shop recycles, the better for your planet.

When you drain the antifreeze from a customer's vehicle, it may be tempting to allow it to spill onto the ground or into a trash container that doesn't hold it back from spilling. Instead, talk to the recycling plant you plan to partner with and arrange for containers that will safely seal in the used antifreeze until it reaches the site. If you're planning to recycle multiple fluids, make sure to keep them each separate.

Arrange for your shop to become a collection center so that the recycling company will come to pick up your used antifreeze and other fluids regularly. You'll also make it easier for DIY mechanics to recycle. Instead of dumping their antifreeze or trying to bring it directly to the plant, they can take their containers of dirty antifreeze to you, and the recyclers will pick it up on their next trip.

Once the antifreeze reaches the plant, the workers will put it into a machine that removes heavy metals and motor oil that it may have picked up within a car. A variety of processes exist for this purpose. One such method involves vacuuming the antifreeze into a drum, boiling it to distill the liquid, and vaporizing the ethylene glycol to cleanse it of contaminants. 

Another process uses ion exchange resins, plastic beads that a machine will charge with positive ions and release into the antifreeze. The undesirable elements, especially the heavy metals, will attract to these pellets, which allows the workers to separate them from the rest of the fluid. A semipermeable membrane may also be a tool used in this process, making it into reverse osmosis.

If you need to arrange for used fluids from your shop to go through a treatment center, look no further than Denver Oil. Our locally owned and operated company is working hard to refine motor oil and antifreeze and make it useful again, helping preserve the environment for a brighter future. Get in touch today to set up your used fluids pickup.