The U.S. petroleum industry trend toward greater environmental awareness has gained steam with recent initiatives on plastics recycling and storage tank replacement.
Sun Refining & Marketing Co. and Shell Oil Co. will begin selling motor oil in 1 qt bottles made partly with recycled plastic. In addition, Grace Specialty Chemicals Co. has completed the U.S. phase of its worldwide underground storage tank replacement program.
Among other initiatives, Unocal Corp. spelled out plans to help reduce smog levels in the Los Angeles Basin (OGJ, May 7, p. 54). Other oil companies have begun using recycled plastic in product containers.
RECYCLED BOTTLES
Sonoco Graham Co., York, Pa., will manufacture the bottles for Sun Co. and Shell. There is no corporate connection between Sonoco Graham and Sun.
The Sun bottles will consist of 20% recycled plastic at first, and the Shell bottles will contain 15%. Both companies will increase the percentage of recycled material once supplies catch up with demand.
Sonoco Graham plans to build a $5 million plastics recycling plant in York to increase the supply, said Phil Yates, senior vice-president. The company hopes to use recycled plastic in nearly every bottle it makes within 3 years.
"The demand for bottles made with recycled plastic has been absolutely phenomenal," Yates said. "Our new plant will be able to recycle more than 200 million plastic bottles/year, but we're still looking for additional supplies."
Shell claims to be the first company to commit an entire product line to recycled containers.
Its black Fire & Ice Motor Oil bottles will be made with high density polyethylene from household, automotive, personal care, and assorted food products bottles. Light colored quart bottles in the Shell line will come from plastic recycled by cities and counties that segregate their refuse.
"We're committed to using recycled plastics to the extent possible in all our lubricants bottles," said T.N. Sanders, Shell's manager-lubricants. "Using recycled materials is not only good for the environment, it's good for our customers and our business."
Sun bottles will also contain HDPE made from a variety of plastic bottles collected in community recycling programs.
TANK PROJECT
In 1987, Grace Specialty Chemicals began a 5 year program to place all its storage tanks above ground. Grace will complete its U.S. phase, at a $12 million cost, 2 years ahead of schedule, said Pres. Donald H. Kohnken.
"All tanks 25 years or older were removed within the first year, and younger tanks have followed," Kohnken said. "New tanks are placed above ground with protective dikes, unless local regulations require other types of storage."
The program involves 274 tanks at more than 90 plants throughout the U.S. Tanks that cannot be placed above ground are double walled and monitored or placed in leakproof vaults that can be easily inspected.
Copyright 1990 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.