Bitumen

Bitumen:

• Bitumen is a dense substance of hydrocarbon type, very viscous and derived from petroleum derivatives, which is often produced in oil refineries.
• The color of bitumen is black to very dark brown and also pasty.
• Standard bitumen completely dissolves in chemical compounds such as carbon sulfide and carbon tetrachloride.
• Bitumen is solid at ambient temperature and changes shape with increasing temperature and turns into paste and then liquid.

  The most important feature of standard bitumen:

• Impermeable to water
• Very high adhesion

This substance consists of 2% oxygen, 11% hydrogen and 87% carbon. The application of bitumen is mainly in waterproofing and making asphalt.

 Bitumen is classified into two main types:

1. Natural bitumen

This type of bitumen is often found under hills and oil lakes.

2. Refined bitumen

This type of bitumen is the result of sedimentation of crude oil.

How bitumen is produced:

1. Direct implementation
2. Blowing air that is done as an intermittent or continuous process.