Guidance on re-refined engine oil bottoms: do they help or hinder performance?

The Asphalt Institute has produced a new 89-page publication on the use of re-refined engine oil bottoms (REOB) or vacuum tower asphalt extender (VTAE). Its aim is to provide decision-makers with the most up-to-date information about the material – although the document does highlight the fact that there are still unanswered questions about REOB.
November 14, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

The Asphalt Institute has produced a new 89-page publication on the use of re-refined engine oil bottoms (REOB) or vacuum tower asphalt extender (VTAE). Its aim is to provide decision-makers with the most up-to-date information about the material – although the document does highlight the fact that there are still unanswered questions about REOB.

The use of REOB, defined as the non-distillable residuum from a vacuum tower in a used oil re-refinery, has grown in the US over recent years. It is used as a blending agent to soften binders and with higher levels of RAP used in paving, demand for REOB has increased. A Federal Highway Administration study found that 20% of 1,000 samples taken from highways in states around the US contained some REOB.

One section of the publication reviews 26 published papers on REOB, and finds that while some authors suggest that REON is innocuous, others say its usage may be detrimental to performance. The report also recommends that existing tests for mixtures and binders also need to be modified to model ageing after five years in service.

IS-235 State-Of-The-Knowledge, The Use of REOB/VTAE In Asphalt was produced by a special task force comprising representatives from Asphalt Institute companies, engineers from the institute and representatives from the Federal Highway Administration. It is free to download at asphaltinstitute.org/re-refined-engine-oil-bottom/ or available as a free eBook at %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal bookstore.asphaltinstitute.org/reobvtae Visit Bookstore Asphalt Insitute false http://http//bookstore.asphaltinstitute.org/reobvtae false false%>.

Materials

Related Content

  • VIDEO: Car owner’s manual – chapter one, snake removal
    October 26, 2016
    Snakes can get into the darnedest places, such as your car. The issue then becomes how to get it out. The answer is, with a lot of work and care as well as an equal amount of patience, such as possessed by the man in this video shot somewhere possibly in Southeast Asia Getting a small snake out of a car is tough. Getting a large one out is practically impossible - at least extracting the reptile in one piece and alive is.
    Read More
  • Hi-viz hijinks make a flockery of saftey clothing
    September 16, 2015
    Fashionable they aren’t, but the wearing of high-visibility clothing is increasingly either recommended by businesses or made mandatory by law, especially for construction workers on every kind of site. But has the use of “hi-vis” clothing, especially the vest, gone too far? In Britain, the wearing of the hi-viz clothing has taken off - literally, according to a BBC television news report that shows a flock of chickens wearing the fluorescent coloured vest.
    Read More
  • CPA publishes new ‘Competence to Operate Construction Plant’ guidance document
    May 19, 2014
    A new Strategic Forum Plant Safety Group guidance document on ‘Competence to Operate Construction Plant’ has been published by the UK-based CPA (Construction Plant-hire Association). The new ‘Competence to Operate Construction Plant’ document aims to clarify methods for employers to manage, develop and record employees' competences to operate all types of plant. The HSE and CITB were key participants, alongside a wide range of other organisations. The guidance covers management of training and management o
    Read More
  • The European Union Road Federation (ERF) calls for EU Member States to prioritise road maintenance
    August 12, 2014
    The European Union Road Federation (ERF) has put out an “urgent” call for “EU Member States to prioritise road maintenance” as neglected surfaces continue to deteriorate and the potholes grow larger and larger. ERF wants the EU to “put alternative financing mechanisms into place” as soon as possible, to tackle what it sees as a growing road safety crisis across the region.
    Read More

Highlighted Content