Mahmud Shauqi Mahmud Saedon
Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan
Oil is an excellent source of energy that is needed essentially in our life. Thousands and thousands of gallons of oil is used everyday. Since oil is a non-renewable source of energy, we should preserve or conserve it. One good way of conserving oil is by recycling it. By doing this, used oil is reprocessed or re-refined so that it can be reused. Thus, energy is conserved.
There are many reasons why oil recycling is necessary. These especially have to do with environments and economy. Firstly, 'improper disposal of used oil can contaminate the environments. Used oil, which is dumped into waterways or storm drains, pollutes streams, lakes, rivers and seas. Oil in water sources can block sunlight, prevent oxygen replenishment and impair photosynthesis. This leads to the extinction of aquatic organisms and disruption of the aquatic food chain.
Imagine what if water at our famous "Kampong Ayer" is polluted seriously by oil. The people
will live in an unhealthy, dirty environment and their health could be affected badly. Moreover, it could give a bad name or image to Brunei Darussalam. "Kampong Ayer", which has been Brunei's main attraction is known worldwide as the "Venice of The East". If this happens, it could affect Brunei's Eco-tourism.
Meanwhile, used oil poured on the ground can contaminate ground water supplies through seepage or infiltration. One bad effect of ground contamination is the destruction of plants as polluted water is taken in. As a result, other environmental problems rise. We should be grateful as improper disposal of used oil rarely happens in Brunei, as there is not much heavy industry here. However, as development takes place, more and more factories will be set up so the government should take early action to prevent this from happening.
In this country, there are many workshops or garages available, waiting for cars and other transports to be repaired. Surely, these workshops produce large amount of used oil. However, we do not know how they dispose this used oil. Therefore, they should be guided properly by the government on how to dispose used oil the right way. in fact, they could become the collection centre of used oil for common people who want to dispose their used oil.
Economically, oil recycling can earn Brunei more income. By recycling, less oil will be extracted and less energy will be wasted. It has been proved that oil recycling is very efficient. One gallon of motor oil results from the refining of 67 gallons of crude. Amazingly, refining only 1.6 gallons of used oil produces the same amount of motor
oil. In other words, energy is conserved. In addition, it will give Brunei more time to diversify its economy, which the
government of His Majesty has been aiming for since Brunei's independence so that this country will be oil-independent. It also can give Brunei more oil reserves for the future use, which will secure Brunei's income.
In America, used oil is considered as valuable. About 80% of the collected used oil are blended with virgin stock to be used as industrial heating oil. The rest is re-refined or burned for energy recovery. This shows how good and useful recycled oil is. Studies by the national Bureau of Standards, U.S. Army, and U.S. Department of Energy confirm that refined oil performs as well as refined crude oil.
Another benefit of recycled oil is that the cost of re-processing it is not as expensive as the cost needed to refine crude oil, so it is sold with
lower price. As a result of recycling used oil, you can save the money of the purchasers and the processors.
Because of ail these advantages of oil recycling, Brunei should take early measures to make it as part of Brunei's life. The government should increase the knowledge of the common people about oil recycling. This can be done through nationwide oil recycling campaign, talks in schools and exhibition. The common people should be taught what to do to contribute in the success of oil recycling in Brunei. Besides, a law to enforce the oil recycling activities by factories or any other used oil producers in this country should be established so that improper disposal of used oil can be prevented before it gets worse.
It is proven that used oil is an excellent source of energy, yet we waste this energy when it is not recycled. Used oil recycling is important for long term environmental protection and particularly, energy conservation. By making an extra effort to find a collection point for our used oil, we can each do our part to recycle energy resources and reduce our impact on the environment.
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