What is bitumen?
Bitumen is a blackish-brown viscous liquid or semisolid. It is generally composed of asphaltene resin and other petroleum compounds. Differences in the composition of bitumen components lead to differences in properties.
Origin of bitumen
Bitumen is found in nature and also can be extracted from crude oil.
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1- Bitumen of natural origin
In the past, the remains of living organisms were buried by shale, sand, and carbonate sediments, in swamps and other aquatic environments. These residues were converted to natural bitumen under the pressure of the upper sedimentary layers and temperatures above 50 °C.
Bitumen is now found beneath hills and oil lakes. Most of the bitumen resources are in Canada, Venezuela, and Oman. There are also natural bitumen mines in the west of Iran.
Natural bitumen has many impurities including sulfur and heavy metals. The cost of extracting and using this bitumen is higher than the bitumen obtained from crude oil.
Another name for natural bitumen is Gilsonite or Bentonite. It is usually used as a waterproofing coating.
Crude oil distillation
Most of the industry’s needs for bitumen are met by crude oil. Crude oil is a mixture of different compounds that is separated by a distillation tower.
The distillation tower has a diameter of 65 cm and a height of 6 m. Inside, there are special trays at different heights. The steam from the heated oil on these trays is liquefied and then released. The remnants of the distillation tower, called vacuum bath, are transferred to another tower to be processed and turned into bitumen.
In the distillation tower, different types of bitumen, including viscous and bitumen, are produced by blowing air into the vacuum bath. The main application of these bitumens is in road construction.
What is the difference between bitumen, tar, and asphalt?
In the United States, the words bitumen and asphalt are synonymous, but in general, asphalt means the composition of stone grains and bitumen, as a binder, that is used for road construction.
Bitumen is a hydrocarbon substance. It is found naturally or comes through refining processes from crude oil.
Tar is also a dark hydrocarbon material. But the difference between tar and bitumen is in the origin of their production. The tar is obtained through a special distillation process from wood or coal. Coal-based tar is high in benzene, which is carcinogenic.
Tar is mostly used in road construction. The tar wood has been used for thousands of years in northern Europe to waterproof boats, among other uses. Coal fiber and wood also have medicinal properties and are used to treat psoriasis and eradicate germs.
There is always concern about cancer associated with coal tar because of the high levels of benzene.
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