NORA, An Association of Responsible Recyclers (formerly the National Oil Recyclers Association) has issued final specifications for two products that are used in the formulation of asphalt paving and asphalt roofing materials.

According to Scott Parker, NORA’s executive director, the specifications were issued in order to ensure that “basic standards of quality are routinely achieved.” The products are derived from used oil distillation processes using vacuum tower technologies.

Parker emphasized that the vacuum tower asphalt extenders “have been successfully used for more than three decades for both asphalt paving and asphalt roofing materials.”

The VTAE products provide “essential components to asphalt products including moisture resistance and viscosity,” he said.

NORA’s VTAE specifications require VTAE manufacturers to apply four different ASTM test methods, including flash and fire points, solubility and viscosity. While in draft form, NORA invited public and private sector comments on the proposed VTAE specifications.

“We believe that the VTAE specifications issued constitute a widespread consensus throughout the asphalt industry that the specifications are workable and appropriate,” Parker said.

He also pointed out that while NORA’s VTAE specifications represent the industry standard for quality, NORA will undertake an effort to secure adoption of the NORA specifications (or similar specifications) by ASTM.

“It is well known that the ASTM product specification process is a very lengthy project and we believed it was important for NORA to make these consensus specifications available for 2015 and the foreseeable future,” he said.