The technical argument over re-refined base oil (RRBO) was settled 31 years ago. The buying argument was not, and the industry is still stuck between the two. A main-stage panel at the Asian Lubricant Exhibition (ALE) 2026 was held on 8 September. The exhibition is being held at MITEC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 8-10 September. Moderating the session, titled “Changing perceptions of re-refined base oils,” F&L Asia Editor-in-Chief and founding director of the Asian Lubricants Industry Association (ALIA), Vicky Villena-Denton, set out the scale of the gap. Global demand for finished lubricants runs at approximately 40 million tonnes a year, of which re-refined base oil accounts for roughly 3.3 million tonnes, or 8%, she said, citing Infineum Insight and Kline & Company. That is larger than most of the room assumes, and far smaller than it should be given that about half of every litre sold is theoretically recoverable. The constraint is not plant capacity, Denton said. India has more than 400 registered re-refining plants and more…

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