BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS	BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS The accompanying unaudited consolidated interim financial statements of Vertex Energy, Inc. (the "Company" or "Vertex Energy") have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2018, contained in the Company's annual report, as filed with the SEC on Form 10-K on March 6, 2019 (the "Form 10-K"). The December 31, 2018 balance sheet was derived from the audited financial statements of our 2018 Form 10-K. In the opinion of management all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of financial position and the results of operations for the interim periods presented, have been reflected herein. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. Notes to the consolidated financial statements which would substantially duplicate the disclosures contained in the audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent fiscal year 2018 as reported in Form 10-K have been omitted. Uses and Sources of Liquidity The Company’s primary need for liquidity is to fund working capital requirements of the Company’s businesses, capital expenditures and for general corporate purposes, including debt repayment. The Company has incurred operating losses for the past several years, and accordingly, the Company has taken a number of actions to continue to support its operations and meet its obligations. During 2018, the Company continued to face a challenging competitive environment and while it continues to focus on its overall profitability, including managing expenses, it reported a loss in 2018 and funded operating activities with cash from investing and financing activities. Moving forward, the Company expects to generate additional liquidity from strategic initiatives including monetization of assets and raising funds from debt and equity financing transactions. The Company expects that these actions will be executed in alignment with the anticipated timing of its liquidity needs. We had a working capital deficit of $923,120 as of September 30, 2019, compared to working capital of $6,547,301 as of December 31, 2018. The decline in working capital from December 31, 2018 to September 30, 2019, is mainly due to the current portion of the operating lease liability in connection with the implementation of the new lease accounting requirements, an increase in derivative commodity liability, and an increase in the balance of the Company's revolving note, offset by an increase in prepaid expenses. To address the liquidity deficiency and operating losses, the Company is considering pursuing a number of actions, including: 1) seeking to obtain additional funds through public or private financing sources; 2) restructuring existing debts from creditors; 3) seeking to reduce operating costs; 4) minimizing projected capital costs for the remainder of 2019 and 2020; and 5) exploring opportunities to sell or lease non-income producing assets. The Company’s historical operating results indicate substantial doubt exists related to its ability to continue as a going concern. However, the Company believes it is probable that the actions discussed above will occur and mitigate the substantial doubt raised by its historical operating results and satisfy its estimated liquidity needs 12 months from the issuance of the financial statements. However, the Company cannot predict, with certainty, the outcome of its actions to generate liquidity, including the availability of additional debt or equity financing, or whether such actions would generate the expected liquidity as currently planned. In addition, the Company's Preferred Stock contains certain limitations on the Company's ability to sell assets, which could impact the Company's ability to complete asset sale transactions or the Company's ability to use proceeds from those transactions to fund its operations. Therefore, any planned actions must take into account the ability to transact within any applicable restrictions under these agreements and securities. If the Company continues to experience operating losses and is not able to generate additional liquidity through the mechanisms described above or through some combination of other actions, while not expected, it may be forced to secure additional sources of funds, which may or may not be available to us. Additionally, a failure to generate additional liquidity could negatively impact the Company’s access to materials or services that are important to the operation of its business.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying unaudited consolidated interim financial statements of Vertex Energy, Inc. (the "Company" or "Vertex Energy") have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2018, contained in the Company's annual report, as filed with the SEC on Form 10-K on March 6, 2019 (the "Form 10-K"). The December 31, 2018 balance sheet was derived from the audited financial statements of our 2018 Form 10-K. In the opinion of management all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of financial position and the results of operations for the interim periods presented, have been reflected herein. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. Notes to the consolidated financial statements which would substantially duplicate the disclosures contained in the audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent fiscal year 2018 as reported in Form 10-K have been omitted.

Uses and Sources of Liquidity

The Company’s primary need for liquidity is to fund working capital requirements of the Company’s businesses, capital expenditures and for general corporate purposes, including debt repayment. The Company has incurred operating losses for the past several years, and accordingly, the Company has taken a number of actions to continue to support its operations and meet its obligations.

During 2018, the Company continued to face a challenging competitive environment and while it continues to focus on its overall profitability, including managing expenses, it reported a loss in 2018 and funded operating activities with cash from investing and financing activities. Moving forward, the Company expects to generate additional liquidity from strategic initiatives including monetization of assets and raising funds from debt and equity financing transactions. The Company expects that these actions will be executed in alignment with the anticipated timing of its liquidity needs.

We had a working capital deficit of $923,120 as of September 30, 2019, compared to working capital of $6,547,301 as of December 31, 2018. The decline in working capital from December 31, 2018 to September 30, 2019, is mainly due to the current portion of the operating lease liability in connection with the implementation of the new lease accounting requirements, an increase in derivative commodity liability, and an increase in the balance of the Company's revolving note, offset by an increase in prepaid expenses.

To address the liquidity deficiency and operating losses, the Company is considering pursuing a number of actions, including: 1) seeking to obtain additional funds through public or private financing sources; 2) restructuring existing debts from creditors; 3) seeking to reduce operating costs; 4) minimizing projected capital costs for the remainder of 2019 and 2020; and 5) exploring opportunities to sell or lease non-income producing assets.

The Company’s historical operating results indicate substantial doubt exists related to its ability to continue as a going concern. However, the Company believes it is probable that the actions discussed above will occur and mitigate the substantial doubt raised by its historical operating results and satisfy its estimated liquidity needs 12 months from the issuance of the financial statements. However, the Company cannot predict, with certainty, the outcome of its actions to generate liquidity, including the availability of additional debt or equity financing, or whether such actions would generate the expected liquidity as currently planned. In addition, the Company's Preferred Stock contains certain limitations on the Company's ability to sell assets, which could impact the Company's ability to complete asset sale transactions or the Company's ability to use proceeds from those transactions to fund its operations. Therefore, any planned actions must take into account the ability to transact within any applicable restrictions under these agreements and securities. If the Company continues to experience operating losses and is not able to generate additional liquidity through the mechanisms described above or through some combination of other actions, while not expected, it may be forced to secure additional sources of funds, which may or may not be available to us. Additionally, a failure to generate additional liquidity could negatively impact the Company’s access to materials or services that are important to the operation of its business.