TheLubricant Specialists
Join the community ↗Follow used lubricating oil from collection and segregation through re-refining, RRBO qualification and finished-lubricant performance.
Curated from primary sources and checked on 27 August 2026.
Binding law, CPCB implementation, quality standards and announced projects are kept separate. Sources were rechecked on 31 July 2026.
Oil sold or imported in FY 2024–25
Percentages apply to base oil or lubrication oil sold or imported in the stated calculation year. New units starting after 1 April 2024 begin after the two-year statutory lead-in.
| Compliance year | Target | Calculation base |
|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 5% | Oil sold or imported in FY 2022–23 |
| 2025–26 | 10% | Oil sold or imported in FY 2023–24 |
| 2026–27CURRENT | 20% | Oil sold or imported in FY 2024–25 |
| 2027–28 | 20% | Oil sold or imported in FY 2025–26 |
| 2028–29 | 40% | Oil sold or imported in FY 2026–27 |
| 2029–30 | 40% | Oil sold or imported in FY 2027–28 |
| 2030–31 onward | 50% | Oil sold or imported in year Y−2 |
Rules are binding. CPCB directions, guidance, portal notices, official data and BIS standards have different legal and technical functions.
CPCB's official portal states that EPR-certificate transfer has resumed and is operational. This confirms the transfer function, not a separate price-discovery marketplace.
Registered entities should use the portal record for transfers and retain transaction evidence. The public status does not establish certificate prices or market liquidity.
CPCB directed recyclers to maintain GST-linked sales records. From 1 July 2026, certificates supported by recycled-product sales invoices other than GST e-invoices are not to be considered.
Recyclers need invoice-level traceability for recycled-product sales, and producers should verify the linked evidence before accepting certificates.
MoEFCC's 2025–26 annual report identifies Circularity in Used Oil as one of five working groups under the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition, with FICCI as secretariat.
This is ongoing industry-policy collaboration and technical deliberation. It is not legislation, a funded national programme or evidence of completed infrastructure.
CPCB issued an implementation-review communication to State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees and requested Action Taken Reports under the used-oil EPR framework.
Registration alone is not the end of compliance. State-level verification, action reporting and facility oversight are part of the operating framework.
CPCB published final guidance for imposing environmental compensation under the 2023 used-oil EPR rules. The guideline should be read with the governing rules and entity-specific facts.
Non-fulfilment, false certificates and other contraventions can create financial exposure in addition to registration, audit and prosecution consequences.
The Government reported 103 registered recyclers, 19,000 tonnes recycled and 2,000 tonnes of EPR certificates generated as at 5 March 2026.
These are point-in-time administrative figures, not a national used-oil generation, collection-rate, installed-capacity or utilisation series.
The 23 January 2026 office memorandum extended only the FY 2024–25 used-oil EPR return deadline, from 31 December 2025 to 31 March 2026. That relief has expired.
No later official extension for FY 2025–26 was located. The statutory 30 June filing deadline therefore remains the operative reference unless a later order is issued.
The guidance explains the portal-registration route for collection agents that collect, store and transport used oil under the CA-2 model.
Portal registration sits alongside the consent, authorisation, storage and traceability controls in CPCB's January 2025 collection guideline.
CPCB directed State Boards and Pollution Control Committees on physical verification under the used-oil EPR framework.
Declared capacity, process, material movement and authorisations should withstand facility-level verification, not only portal review.
MoEFCC clarified that Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities collecting used oil are collection agents under the used-oil EPR framework.
RVSFs must register on the used-oil EPR portal and pass collected oil only to registered recyclers.
CPCB asked State Boards and Pollution Control Committees to require producers, used-oil importers, recyclers and collection agents to apply for portal registration within 15 days.
The letter recorded that only 77 producers and 33 recyclers had applied after the portal launched on 24 June 2024, signalling an early formalisation gap.
CPCB's guideline distinguishes CA-1 collection and transport from CA-2 collection, storage and transport. CA-2 facilities require relevant consent and authorisation, and the guideline sets a maximum 90-day storage period.
Collection design must match the registered activity, storage infrastructure, traceability, vehicle, spill-control and return requirements.
The standard covers virgin mineral base oils in Groups I to III, but its re-refined mineral base-oil coverage is limited to Group I. No published Part 2 or mandatory Quality Control Order was located.
Use it as a quality benchmark within its stated scope. It is not a finished-lubricant approval and must not be presented as proof that all RRBO groups are covered.
G.S.R. 177(E) permits platform controls for certificate exchange and ties the allowed price range to environmental compensation: 30% at the lower bound and 100% at the upper bound.
The rule creates the legal pricing framework. It does not by itself prove that a separate price-discovery marketplace is currently operating.
G.S.R. 677(E) inserts Chapter VII for producers, collection agents, recyclers and used-oil importers, with portal registration, certificate-based fulfilment, returns, traceability and environmental-compensation provisions.
The framework took effect on 1 April 2024, gives re-refining priority over energy recovery and prohibits registered entities from dealing with unregistered entities within the covered chain.
MoUs, pilots and company-reported products are included for market intelligence. None is counted as operating national capacity without commissioning and output evidence.
The companies announced a pilot using authorised commercial-vehicle service touchpoints as collection points and registered recyclers for onward processing.
The filing does not disclose collected volume, recycler identity, RRBO output, pilot duration or a national rollout timetable.
The partners announced a model for collection, storage, recycling and conversion to RRBO from automotive service operations.
No public capacity, rollout geography, capital commitment, recycler identity or commissioning evidence was disclosed.
The partners announced an SPV targeting 100 KTA of used-lubricant collection and a 50–100 KTA RRBO facility within three years.
These are forward targets, not commissioned capacity. The release also uses inconsistent Group I, Group II and Group II+ descriptions, so the eventual product slate requires confirmation.
The parties plan to route used oil from selected plants to HP Green R&D Centre for reprocessing and explore RRBO-containing finished lubricants.
No collection volume, RRBO yield, finished-oil qualification, capital expenditure or commissioning timetable was published.
The memorandum covers potential used-oil collection, re-refining and incorporation of RRBO into lubricants.
This is a feasibility collaboration, not evidence of a commissioned plant, contracted capacity or qualified finished products.
Castrol India's 2025 annual report says an engine oil using locally sourced re-refined base oil was commercialised in India.
The report does not disclose RRBO percentage, base-oil slate, product volume, tests, approvals or sales. Those evidence gaps prevent a broader performance or scale claim.
No verified public national series was located for used-lubricating-oil generation, formal collection, installed re-refining capacity, plant utilisation or RRBO output.
Portal dashboard counters and the 5 March 2026 Parliament snapshot cannot be reconciled without definitions and reporting-period notes.
Certificate transfer is operational, but no primary-source evidence was located that a separate price-discovery marketplace is live.
Most 2026 projects are MoUs, targets or pilots. Announced capacity is not counted as operating capacity.
This tracker is technical and editorial information, not legal advice. Always check the current Gazette text, CPCB portal, applicable State Board requirements and product-specific qualification evidence before acting.
Browse original articles, concise knowledge notes, structured reference records and manually verified official updates.
No universal RRBO return exists. Viability depends on controlled feedstock, achieved yield, plant configuration, product quality, residue cost, customer qualification and contracted demand.
Read article →A staged screening framework for safe unloading and feedstock routing that explains both the value and limitations of common laboratory tests.
Read article →A practical architecture for linking generation points, authorised collection, segregated storage, transport and verified treatment without treating collection volume alone as proof of circularity.
Read article →How to build a defensible incoming-feed specification covering representative sampling, analytical methods, decision rules, quarantine and supplier performance.
Read article →RRBO can support technically sound finished lubricants, but it must enter the formulation through controlled base-stock qualification, current interchange rules and performance validation.
Read article →A control framework connecting every physical load, sample, tank movement and processing record while explaining why mass balance alone cannot prove material identity.
Read article →A single certificate of analysis is a batch snapshot. Dependable RRBO procurement requires an intended-use specification, multi-batch evidence, process control, contamination screening and formal change management.
Read article →Re-refined base oil can be a valuable formulation input, but origin alone does not establish the performance of the finished product.
Read article →Used-oil regulation changes across jurisdictions and across the material's journey. Collection, treatment, movement, end-of-waste status and finished-lubricant claims require separate evidence.
Read article →Segregation, storage and chain of custody determine whether a used-oil stream can become dependable re-refining feedstock.
Read article →Re-refining is a treatment train, not a single purification step. Pretreatment, distillation, extraction, adsorption and hydrogen finishing address different contaminant classes and create different residual streams.
Read article →RRBO can offer environmental benefits, but the result depends on the question, geography, process, energy system, allocation method, product performance and comparator.
Read article →CPCB's official portal states that EPR-certificate transfer has resumed and is operational. This confirms the transfer function, not a separate price-discovery marketplace.
Open primary source ↗The companies announced a pilot using authorised commercial-vehicle service touchpoints as collection points and registered recyclers for onward processing.
Open primary source ↗The updated guidance clarifies Part 279 application, specification used oil, storage, hazardous-waste mixtures and processing. State rules may be stricter.
Open primary source ↗CPCB directed recyclers to maintain GST-linked sales records. From 1 July 2026, certificates supported by recycled-product sales invoices other than GST e-invoices are not to be considered.
Open primary source ↗The partners announced a model for collection, storage, recycling and conversion to RRBO from automotive service operations.
Open primary source ↗MoEFCC's 2025–26 annual report identifies Circularity in Used Oil as one of five working groups under the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition, with FICCI as secretariat.
Open primary source ↗CPCB issued an implementation-review communication to State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees and requested Action Taken Reports under the used-oil EPR framework.
Open primary source ↗CPCB published final guidance for imposing environmental compensation under the 2023 used-oil EPR rules. The guideline should be read with the governing rules and entity-specific facts.
Open primary source ↗The partners announced an SPV targeting 100 KTA of used-lubricant collection and a 50–100 KTA RRBO facility within three years.
Open primary source ↗The Government reported 103 registered recyclers, 19,000 tonnes recycled and 2,000 tonnes of EPR certificates generated as at 5 March 2026.
Open primary source ↗The parties plan to route used oil from selected plants to HP Green R&D Centre for reprocessing and explore RRBO-containing finished lubricants.
Open primary source ↗The memorandum covers potential used-oil collection, re-refining and incorporation of RRBO into lubricants.
Open primary source ↗The 23 January 2026 office memorandum extended only the FY 2024–25 used-oil EPR return deadline, from 31 December 2025 to 31 March 2026. That relief has expired.
Open primary source ↗The guidance explains the portal-registration route for collection agents that collect, store and transport used oil under the CA-2 model.
Open primary source ↗Castrol India's 2025 annual report says an engine oil using locally sourced re-refined base oil was commercialised in India.
Open primary source ↗The code addresses re-refined base stocks in automotive engine oils and clarifies audit requirements. It does not create automatic approval for an RRBS-containing formulation.
Open primary source ↗Defines waste oils and regeneration. Article 21 addresses separate collection, regeneration priority and mixing that impedes regeneration or equivalent recycling.
CPCB directed State Boards and Pollution Control Committees on physical verification under the used-oil EPR framework.
Open primary source ↗The amendment identifies R9 as recycling or re-refining of used oil. It is scheduled to become effective on 1 January 2030.
Open primary source ↗MoEFCC clarified that Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities collecting used oil are collection agents under the used-oil EPR framework.
Open primary source ↗CPCB asked State Boards and Pollution Control Committees to require producers, used-oil importers, recyclers and collection agents to apply for portal registration within 15 days.
Open primary source ↗CPCB's guideline distinguishes CA-1 collection and transport from CA-2 collection, storage and transport. CA-2 facilities require relevant consent and authorisation, and the guideline sets a maximum 90-day storage period.
Open primary source ↗The standard covers virgin mineral base oils in Groups I to III, but its re-refined mineral base-oil coverage is limited to Group I. No published Part 2 or mandatory Quality Control Order was located.
G.S.R. 177(E) permits platform controls for certificate exchange and ties the allowed price range to environmental compensation: 30% at the lower bound and 100% at the upper bound.
G.S.R. 677(E) inserts Chapter VII for producers, collection agents, recyclers and used-oil importers, with portal registration, certificate-based fulfilment, returns, traceability and environmental-compensation provisions.
Identifies test methods for hydrocarbon base oils derived from crude refining and used-oil re-refining. It is a characterisation guide, not a finished-oil approval.
Covers waste reception, sampling, storage, oil-water separation and waste-oil re-refining alongside other treatment activities.
International technical guidance on environmentally sound collection, handling, storage, treatment, re-refining and alternative uses. It is guidance, not a finished-lubricant specification.
Colour can support consistency monitoring, but performance-relevant qualification requires a wider controlled property set.
Reference noteA circular-content claim should identify the facility, accounting period, inputs, outputs, losses and allocation method.
Reference noteKeeping used lubricating oil separate from solvents, coolant and incompatible wastes protects feedstock value and reduces downstream risk.
Reference noteUS federal requirements for generators, collection points, transporters, processors, re-refiners, burners and marketers. Subpart F covers processors and re-refiners.
Circularity succeeds or fails across the complete chain. This centre examines collection systems, feedstock contamination, process choices, product consistency, market acceptance and the evidence behind environmental claims.
10 practical research articles covering collection design, custody, contamination, re-refining technology, product qualification, regulation, economics and environmental evidence.
A practical architecture for linking generation points, authorised collection, segregated storage, transport and verified treatment without treating collection volume alone as proof of circularity.
A control framework connecting every physical load, sample, tank movement and processing record while explaining why mass balance alone cannot prove material identity.
A staged screening framework for safe unloading and feedstock routing that explains both the value and limitations of common laboratory tests.
How to build a defensible incoming-feed specification covering representative sampling, analytical methods, decision rules, quarantine and supplier performance.
Re-refining is a treatment train, not a single purification step. Pretreatment, distillation, extraction, adsorption and hydrogen finishing address different contaminant classes and create different residual streams.
A single certificate of analysis is a batch snapshot. Dependable RRBO procurement requires an intended-use specification, multi-batch evidence, process control, contamination screening and formal change management.
RRBO can support technically sound finished lubricants, but it must enter the formulation through controlled base-stock qualification, current interchange rules and performance validation.
Used-oil regulation changes across jurisdictions and across the material's journey. Collection, treatment, movement, end-of-waste status and finished-lubricant claims require separate evidence.
No universal RRBO return exists. Viability depends on controlled feedstock, achieved yield, plant configuration, product quality, residue cost, customer qualification and contracted demand.
RRBO can offer environmental benefits, but the result depends on the question, geography, process, energy system, allocation method, product performance and comparator.
Coverage is maintained through verified explainers, comparisons, practitioner contributions and updated source registers.
Practical analysis of source segregation, storage, transport, contamination controls and traceability.
How volatility, oxidation stability, viscosity index, sulphur, colour and batch consistency affect formulation decisions.
Clear boundaries for recycled content, mass balance, recovery yield and lifecycle comparisons.
Model ULO input, contamination, residues, recovered co-products, RRBO recovery and finished-product incorporation while exposing every assumption and data gap.
Create a collection-to-refinery control record covering load identity, segregation, sampling, acceptance evidence, exceptions and authorised disposition.
Practitioners, standards specialists and technology providers may propose evidence-led contributions. Commercial interests must be disclosed.
Propose a contribution →