A method for removing soot, sludge and other insoluble particulates from an engine oil is provided, the method comprising: disposing an oil containing the particulates between a pair of electrodes, wherein one of the electrodes is a positive electrode; applying a coating to the surface of the positive electrode, wherein the coating is configured to collect a portion of the particulates on the positive electrode; applying a current to the electrodes for a period of time, wherein portions of the particulates agglomerate on the positive electrode and other portions of the particulates not collected on the positive electrode are preagglomerated resulting in a larger average particle size; and applying a filtering process to remove the particulates not collected on the positive electrode. Also, disclosed herein is a filter for removing soot, sludge and other insoluble particulates from an engine oil.